


Queer Pride Month Writing Challenge (2020)

by QueerCanary (queercanary)



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Gen, LGBTQ+ Pride Month 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 29,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24495937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queercanary/pseuds/QueerCanary
Summary: This is a jumble of Pride Month prompts for LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June).Every Day has a new concept prompt (one shots).Happy Pride!(Rated Teen just to be safe: angst, feels, love.)
Relationships: Nyssa al Ghul/Laurel Lance, Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe, Sara Lance/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 71
Kudos: 218





	1. We'll Weather This Storm Together

**Author's Note:**

> June First: Storm  
> Sara and Ava get stranded by a broken time courier and take cover in a Time Bureau safe-house to ride out a thunderstorm.  
> Sara has a very good reason to hate storms (the night the Gambit went down and changed her life forever was a stormy one) and Ava comforts her.  
> (No solid time period: Some Random Mission sometime after 3x12 yet before all the drama around 3x15 and 3x16)  
> (Also, all myth information I got off Wikipedia, so do with that what you will as well as obvious creative liberty.)

“Ok. So. Cursed lake?”

“Yup.” Sara sheathed a dagger at her hip. “15th century crocodile-beaver thing eating people in 2005 Wales.”

“According to legend, the Afanc is an extremely territorial creature who’s giant jaws and teeth rip apart intruders. Other than its vicious nature, there are no other reported abilities.” Gideon reported.

Sara nodded, turning to address the team. “Ava and I are going to go to the lake, net us an Afanc, and time courier back to the bureau.”

“What do we get to do, Captain?” Ray asked.

“You guys are going to go back to DC and help transfer the current fugitives to the new holding facility. And also keep Hank off of our backs.”

“Are you sure you guys don’t need help against a violent lake beast?” Ray asked.

“No. Mr. Haywood is looking for ways to gut this program again.” Ava sighed. “He needs to see firsthand how useful you guys can be. Which means you have to be careful and not lose a fugitive during the transfer. But this mission needs to be done because… sea monster eating people.”

Ray nodded and Ava opened the time portal. The two women stepped through the gateway into a lush, green lakeside environment.

“Local time: 12:34 pm.” Ava reported. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, the water sparkling, and a gentle breeze made the leaves rustle gently.

“Wow, it’s so nice here.” Ava breathed.

“Yeah, kinda hard to believe a monster lives in that lake.” Sara agreed, shading her eyes from the sunlight.

“What should we do?”

“Well, we have to find it first right?” Sara asked, stalking to the shoreline. Before Ava could say anything, Sara had already plucked up a rock and launched it into the waters. The ripples spread across the surface, but nothing else happened. She tossed another rock.

Ava walked to stand next to her, hands on her hips, eyebrows gently furrowed. “Nothing’s happening.”

Sara shot Ava a _No Duh_ look from the corner of her eye before launching another rock.

“Hey, what are you girls doing!” A loud voice called from behind them. “You’ll anger it.” A frantic-looking red faced man was running towards them.

“Yeah. We’re… tourists… that heard the stories. We came to see if they were true.” Ava responded as the man came to a halt in front of them, breathing heavily.

“They're as true as the sky is blue! But it doesn’t like it’s waters disturbed. You'll anger it! We don’t need any tourists’ bones washing up on our shores.”

Sara rolled her eyes at the man before turning to launch another rock. The ripples spread out before gradually petering out. “Gideon’s never wrong.” Sara sighed.

The strangers eyes suddenly widened dramatically. Sara and Ava whipped around to see the tip of a snout poking out from the depths. The rest of the beast’s crocodilian head slowly emerged. The stranger gulped. “I told you it’s real,” he gasped before turning and bolting.

The girls glanced and each other and shrugged before plucking up the net.

“How do we lure it in?” Ava asked.

Sara glanced at the swiftly approaching creature. “I don’t think we need to worry about that.”

The beast was moving alarmingly quickly before emerging onto the shore. The Afanc was almost comical, its round beaver’s body a sharp contrast to the crocodilian jaws and tail. Its sizeable claws dug into the bank. Although the creature was short, rising no taller than Ava’s knees on fully extended legs, it was menacing.

“Now!” Sara yelled, swinging her arms back to launch the weighted net. Ava synced movement and the pair launched the net. The weights slammed with a dull thud into the muddy bank, trapping the Afanc in thick nylon cord. The creature bellowed and thrashed its long tail. The chord glowed faintly orange, the enchantment Constantine had placed to hold magical creatures activating.

“Yes!” Sara crowed. “We just caught a crocodile monster!”

“Sara.” Ava gulped, gently grasping Sara’s forearm. She turned her attention back to the Afanc, which was thrashing and bellowing wildly, pulling against the net back to the waters. A sudden breeze picked up, lightly lapping the waters of the lake a bit further up the bank than before.

On an instinct to prevent the creature’s retreat, Sara lunged forward and grasped the edge of the net. Ava followed suit without thinking about it. The waves of the lake were picking up, gradually reaching further and further onto shore. The women were slipping and sliding in the mud and the creature was pulling them with all its might. With another bellow, the Afanc whipped out with its tail, sending Ava flying into the mud. Sara dropped the net, angry red lines where the chording had pulled sharply into her palms.

The wind began to pick up as Sara pulled mud-covered Ava up to her feet. The sky began to grow darker and the creature’s bellow was echoed by one from the heavens.

“I thought Gideon said it didn’t have any powers!” Ava yelled over the roar of the rising wind.

“It shouldn’t!” Sara yelled back.

Ava slapped at her wrist angrily. “Time Courier’s broken!” The clouds released fat and heavy raindrops and the gale whipped the trees.

“Come on, we have to get to some shelter!” Ava called, grabbing Sara by the arm.

“Where are we going!”

“Lake house!” Ava yelled, wind snatching breath from her lungs. A lighting bolt streaked across the sky, illuminated the sudden gathering night. Sara felt the thunderclap in her chest. “The Time Bureau has nondescript vacation houses all over the place! We’re lucky the monster decided to inhabit a lake next to one!”

They bolted to the house, Ava frantically typing in the code. The keypad flashed green and a small click alerted them that the door was open. Sara pushed them both inside, snapping the many locks behind them.

They both leaned against the door frame for a moment, catching their breath. They were dripping water and mud. Ava cursed lightly under her breath as nothing happened when she flicked the light switch.

Ava shivered and rubbed her arms. “Its cold and we’re soaking. We should change and get warmed up.”

Sara nodded, taking a few tentative steps in the dark. Ava lit a candle on the nightstand next to the front door before walking to a small room. Sara stayed in the entryway, trying not to shiver as the next blast of thunder shook the house.

Ava returned, two bags in hand and a small pile of towels draped over her arm. Sara stood frozen for a moment before following Ava’s lead in changing.

When their clothes were in a muddy pile in the corner of the floor, Ava began placing wood in the fireplace before striking another match. In a few moments, the logs caught and firelight illuminated the room. A huge gust of wind rattled the windowpanes, which were briefly illuminated by another lighting strike. Sara closed her eyes while the rumble rushed over their ear drums.

“Are you hurt?” Ava asked, concern in her eyes.

“No, I’m okay.” Sara responded, lackluster, before gently strolling to sit perched on the edge of the couch in front of the fireplace.

“Did… the Afanc just summon a storm?” Ava wondered aloud.

“I guess so.” Sara shrugged. “Gideon usually isn’t wrong, and she said this thing wouldn’t have any abilities. I have no idea.” Sara flinched imperceptibly at the next gigantic thunderclap.

“It sounds like it’s right above us.” Ava breathed. She and Sara hadn’t known each other long but she detected hesitance in the woman’s bearing. The wind shifted slightly, attacking the windows at a slightly more vulnerable angle. Ava could see Sara’s eyes dart to the nearest window in the dancing firelight.

“Are you sure you’re ok, Sara?” Ava asked, coming over to stand next to Sara.

“Yeah. It’s just…” Sara sighed before glancing up at Ava. “It’s stupid.”

Ava gently lowered herself next to Sara. “It can’t be that stupid.”

“I… I have a thing about storms, I guess.” Sara shifted, bringing her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. “The shipwreck… the Queen’s Gambit… happened during a terrible storm. For a long time, Oliver Queen and I just assumed that the storm had been the reason the boat sank. But even when I found out that the boat was sabotaged its just…” She paused for the next clap of thunder and hugged her legs closer. “Bad memories from nearly drowning in a stormy sea.”

Ava looked at Sara, struck by how small and frightened she looked. She’d obviously read about the Queen’s Gambit in Sara’s file, but she hadn’t realized about the storm. Ava hadn’t even thought about what happens to a person when they get shipwrecked.

The tall woman slid closer to Sara, so that their sides were lightly touching. When Sara didn’t protest, Ava gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder, lightly pulling Sara into an embrace. Ava hadn’t expected Sara to welcome her so much, unfurling her legs to rest her head fully against Ava’s shoulder, their thighs touching. Sara stared at the fire unblinking. Ava felt a small tremble as the wind shifted again, changing the tone of the house’s wails.

“Its okay, Sara.”. Ava whispered, bringing her other arm around to hold the woman closer, planting a light kiss on her forehead. “We’ll get through this. Together.”


	2. Somewhere [Under] the Rainbow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Second: Rainbow  
> In which the team finds an actual leprechaun working at a coffee shop. Ava and Sara find a bit of romance while defeating this fugitive.

“Leprechaun?” Zari asked. “Are you being serious or racist?” 

“Both, love.” Constantine grumbled with an amused tweak of his lips.

“Ok, so how do we catch a leprechaun?” Ava asked.

“With an old trick: if you spill grain in front of them, they’re compelled to count it.” Constantine replied.

“That sounds fake. That’s not true. Is it true?” Ray babbled.

Constantine shrugged as Sara sighed. “We might as well find out. Ray, Zari, and Constantine, you’ll infiltrate the coffee shop.”

“I… don’t think a public space needs infiltrating.” Zari crossed her arms.

“You know what I meant. Go there, separately, as patrons and sit at opposite ends of the shop so we cover all our angles of attack. Ava and I will go and do the grain spilling. Nate, Mick--”

“I don’t do coffee.” Mick grumbled before walking away.

“I was going to say quarterback from the ship, but ok.” Sara nodded, satisfied. “Let’s go get the gold at the end of the rainbow!”

“There is no gold at the end of the rainbow, love.” Constantine interrupted. “That’s just a myth.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “It was my send off!”

҉

“You really think this is going to work, babes?” Ava asked, weighing the small bag of grain in her hand as they stepped into line at the coffee shop.

Sara shrugged. “It does sound pretty fake. But worth a shot.”

They approached the counter and ordered. “Black. Sugar?”

“Over there, miss.” The barista responded, politely pointing at the service bar. Sara nodded and stepped down the counter to wait for her coffee, sidling up to Ava.

“I didn’t know you liked your coffee black.” Ava took a moment to glance down at Sara. Life on the Waverider was incredible, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything. But there were some normal-people date things that the pair never got to do, like go for coffee. Even though this was a mission, Ava felt a twinge of happiness in her gut.

“Caramel Macchiato?” A red-headed barista called out.

“Ah.” Ava smiled, stepping forward to grab the coffee. She managed to ‘accidentally’ lose the bag of grain from her pocket as she reached up, spilling the granules across the floor. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Ava gasped, looking down at the mess on the floor.

The barista’s eyes widened as she looked down at the floor. “Ah, it’s no problem miss!” The barista eagerly tottered out from behind the counter and bent over.

“Do you have a broom or something I could borrow?” Ava asked kindly.

“No, ma’am, really, its totally fine!” The barista chirped, beginning to gather the grains in her palm.

“Oh my god, that actually worked.” Sara breathed.

“Told you.” Constantine nudged over comms.

“Ok, so how do we get her out of here.” Sara asked, surveying the sea of eyes that had turned to watch the barista gather up a spilled bag of grain piecemeal.

“I mean, maybe we should wait until she goes on a break.” Zari responded. “She goes into the break room and we portal her back to the ship?”

“Yeah, we might have a problem.” Ava groaned. Sara turned around to spot a middle-aged man emerging from the back room with a broom and dustpan.

“Wait, what happens if the leprechaun doesn’t finish counting the grains?” Ray asked.

“I’m guessing we’re about to find out.” Zari responded, standing as the leprechaun began to hum at the approaching broom.

“Let me help you with that.” The man, wearing a _manager_ badge, chided gently.

“No, no no sir! I’ve got it covered!” The leprechaun responded, moving more frantically.

The manager started to sweep anyway. The leprechaun's head shot up with a guttural cry, as if she’d been punched in the stomach. The creature stood, grasping the end of the broom. She used the slight leverage to launch the manager backwards.

“Oh, yes, I forgot to mention leprechauns often have superhuman strength.” Constantine chimed in unhelpfully.

“We need to get her out of here.” Sara mumbled to herself. Suddenly, she rushed forward and grabbed a handful of the grains and bolted for the back door. The leprechaun screeched and moved to chase, Ava pausing before rushing after them.

“Sara, what’s your knife made out of?” Constantine asked.

“What, you just assume I bring a knife to a coffee shop?” Sara responded defensively, hand clenched around grains and back pressed against the back door, trying to hold off the crazed magical creature slamming into the wall. Met only with silence, “Ok, yes, I did. Iron. Why?”

“Pure iron can kill a leprechaun.”

“You want me to stab a leprechaun?!”

“You won’t have to stab-to-kill, love. Even a cut can banish the mischievous creature.”

Sara grumbled, launched the grains as far from the doorway as she could, and opened the door with a flourish, ducking behind it as the leprechaun pushed past her. Ava emerged a second later, and Sara grabbed her, pulling her roughly into the cover of the dumpster.

Sara unsheathed the knife and gripped the handle securely before closing the door with a bang. The leprechaun startled, rounding on her with a growl. The former-barista launched herself at Sara, tackling her, forcing the air from Sara’s lungs and the knife from her grasp. The leprechaun had supernaturally strong hands wrapped around Sara’s throat before she could blink twice.

Sara planted a square kick into the leprechaun to no effect. She stretched her short arms uselessly towards the knife, just out of her grasp. Sara’s punches didn't even faze the creature. Stars began to swim into her vision.

Ava raced forward, grasping the knife in her hands. She’d never stabbed anyone before, but it was clear Sara was no match for the magical creature wrapped around her throat. Ava grasped the knife with both hands, raising it above her head. She brought the iron blade down into the leprechaun’s back with a grunt. The creature reared, releasing Sara.

The leprechaun yelled one last time as her limbs began to slowly dissolve into a shower of rainbow sparkles that disappeared into the sky.

Sara took several deep breaths, focusing on the return of sweet, sweet oxygen into her lungs. “We got her, team. Can you guys memory flash everyone? And also make sure that man didn’t get hurt too badly.”

“Sure thing, captain!” Ray responded cheerfully.

Ava offered Sara her hand, helping the shorter woman return to her feet. Sara sheathed the proffered knife as well. Apparently, leprechauns didn’t bleed, only dissolved into rainbow glitter.

Sara glanced up at Ava, noticing a smile playing across her lips, her gaze fixed on the sky.

“Look, babe!” Ava gasped, gently reaching for Sara’s forearm. Sara’s gaze followed Ava’s. “It’s a rainbow!”

Sara couldn’t fight the grin that flashed across her face. Ava’s smile was so radiant and beautiful.

Ava met Sara’s eyes, her hand moving to gently cup the shorter woman’s cheek tenderly. “Constantine lied.”

Sara gently cocked one eyebrow. “I mean, yeah. But what about this time?”

“I found treasure at the end of the rainbow.”

Ava gently brought Sara’s face closer, both their smiles dissolving into a passionate kiss.


	3. Seeing You In The Sunlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Third: First Date  
> Sara decides that after her date with Ava was interrupted by the flaming Waverider surging from the sky, they need a do-over. A real first date where both of them can just be themselves and there is no pressure to be normal around each other.  
> (Casually after 3x12 before 3x13)  
> You can also totally tell I have never been on a picnic or a date in my whole-ass life and I re-watched their date scene so many times trying to write this. I'm sorry this is so short but I'm a horrible disaster.

“Hey.”

“Hey, you.” Ava looked up from the stack of paperwork on her desk from yesterday’s incident. Sara was leaning gently in the doorway.

“Will you go out with me, Agent Sharpe?” Sara grinned.

“We’ve already been on a date, you goober.” Ava chuckled. “I’m doing that paperwork right now, actually."

“Exactly!” Sara took a few paces towards the desk. “The Waverider fell flaming out of the sky and Gary can’t deal with any of his own problems for five minutes. We technically never finished our first date.”

“I didn’t think you wanted to.” Ava admitted, elegantly crossed fingers resting on her desk.

“Of course I do!” Sara pursed her lips lightly and admired Ava for a moment. “So, what do you say, Agent Sharpe?”

Ava giggled, letting Sara peck her lightly on her cheek. “Ok, Captain Lance. It’s a date.”

҉

“Are you sure it’s okay to leave the Legends for this long?” Ava asked, nervously pulling her hair over one shoulder.

“No. But it’s never going to be okay to leave them for more than five minutes, so we might as well just do it now.” Sara shrugged.

“You’re probably right.” Ava snorted lightly. “You look nice today.”

Sara let a small smile dance across her lips. “I’ve been known to.”

“I mean, you always look good.” Ava backtracked. “I just meant…. Where are we going?”

“To the park. For a picnic. Hence the picnic basket.”

“Yeah, but did you put on enough sunscreen? Or bring any with you? You’re supposed to reapply every few hours.”

“I’ll be fine, Ava. It’s just for a little while.”

“But it’s bad for your skin. I wouldn’t want you to get sunburned or anything for the sake of smelling nice on our date.”

“You think I smell nice?” Sara asked teasingly. A slight flush crept to the woman’s cheeks at Sara’s quip. Sara firmly grabbed Ava’s hand and pulled her over a small grassy hill before she should backpedal wildly.

Ava felt herself staring at sundress-clad Sara as she laid out the blanket with a flourish.

“See something you like?”

“Yeah, just um… you.” Ava stumbled nervously, pushing her hair out of her face. Sara grinned and patted the blanket next to her lightly. Ava obeyed and sat. It was Sara’s turn to stare at Ava’s incredibly long and gorgeous legs, exposed by shorts for the first time Sara could remember.

“You look good, too.” Sara replied casually, digging out chicken wraps and tupperware stuffed with pasta salad. Ava smiled shyly again, brushing hands as she took the extended fork. “Wine?”

“Sure.” Ava nodded, pausing only a moment before popping off the lid of the container, digging hungrily into the pasta dish.

Sara did the perfect pour while munching on a strawberry half. The women clinked their glasses and laughed before munching into the array of snacks.

“Did Gideon fabricate all this?” Ava asked, swallowing a big bite of delicious chicken.

“No. Believe it or not, I went to the grocery store.” Sara replied around the bulge of a giant grape. “Can you taste a difference?”

“No insult to Gideon, because she’s great. But something felt different. I couldn’t tell if it was the non-fabricated part or the eaten-on-a-hillside-with-a-gorgeous-woman part.” Sara’s smile was absolutely radiant and Ava bathed in its light.

“Maybe it’s a bit of both.” Sara responded, trying to be nonchalant in the face of Ava’s incredible compliment.

Ava grinned, picking up on Sara’s slight disquiet. She raised her wine glass again, inviting Sara into another clink. “Here’s to being two irregular women on a slightly abnormal first-date do-over.”


	4. Fluid As The River

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Fourth: Identity Shenanigans  
> Some members of the team notice Sara dressing up as a cowboy and ask about it. (1x11)  
> (Head cannon: Sara is casually outside the gender binary-- whether this is agender or genderfluid or something else.)  
> Idea based off of something I noticed myself and listening to a panel in which Caity Lotz talked about how Sara Lance is, at her very core, a fluid person that just goes with whatever she feels [in regards to her bisexuality]. I decided to apply this to Sara and gender identity and presentation/performance.

“What’s your deal, Blondie?” Mick grunted as Sara settled next to him on the bench in the fabrication room.

“My deal?”

“Yeah.” Mick glanced at Kendra, who was struggling with her bodice.

“For… not helping Kendra with her dress?” Sara asked, fiddling with her sleeve. “She’s a grown woman. If she wanted my help, she knows to just ask. Like a grown woman.” Sara’s comment was pointed, daring Mick to say what he meant.

Everybody continued to dress in silence for a few moments before Kendra sighed, her hands dropping frustratedly to her sides. “I think I actually do need help. Its this angle…”

Sara tweaked her lips in a slight grin and stood, walking to her friend. She gently untangled and pulled the laces free, starting from scratch.

“Everybody’s gonna look at you weird.” Mick broke the silence.

“Do you have a problem, Rory?” Sara asked, not pausing in her task.

“I think what Mick is trying to say is that you’re not wearing a dress like Kendra.” Snart jeered. “And he knows its not you preparing for a fight, because you went into Vandal Savage’s dinner party in a skin tight dress.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Funny, I didn’t peg you two as the traditional type. Women can wear pants.”

“In the 1700’s?” Jax asked, a slight curiosity at the edge of his tone. “I thought all women in this time period had to dress nice all the time in all those layers.”

“There were female cowboys!” Ray interjected. Sara tilted her head as if to say _see?_. “The lone cowboy is actually a very potent myth! Cowboys were actually really big on community and looking out for one another. They were basically societies’ rejects, so they banded together in the American west and watched each other’s backs.”

“What would possess a young woman to leave comfortable society behind for the rough frontier?” Jax wondered out loud.

“If society isn’t very comfortable.” Sara replied, finishing Kendra’s laces. “But that’s not the point. Wearing a dress today just… didn’t feel right.”

“Old westerns often portray the cowboy as a white man with peak masculinity but in truth, most real-life cowboys were people of color, gay men and women, and people outside the highly structured gender binary.”

“Ah, so people ran away to join the circus, only with more cows.” Mick nodded to himself.

“Why don’t you just tell me what your problem is, Rory?” Sara dared.

“I don’t have a problem.”

“It… kinda seems like you do.” Jax admitted, leaning against the wall uncomfortably.

“You’re weird. One minute you’re hitting on women, the next you’re teasing men. One minute you’re stabbing a guy in a short skirt and the next you're willing to stab me over suggesting you wear a dress. Whats your deal?”

“You know what Rory? I’ll tell you as soon as I figure that out myself.” Sara shot back, stalking out of the fabrication room, the click of her boot heels sounding her retreat down the hall towards the cargo bay door.

“Rory!” Jax sighed.

“What? It’s the truth?”

“Who cares, Rory?” Ray sighed. “I figured you of all people would understand and just let her be.”

“Me? What’s that supposed to mean?” Rory grumbled, rising to his feet.

“I just mean that you’ve both been through a lot, that’s all.” Ray gulped.

“I mean, why does it matter what she wears or who she sleeps with? She always has our backs!” Jax squawked. “It’s Sara, man! She’s our friend!”

“Hgnh.” Mick grumbled, leaving the fabrication room, the rest of the team sharing glances.

҉

“Are you okay, Sara?” Ray asked, big puppy dog eyes searching her face.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Mick… he said some pretty hurtful things back there.” Ray slid onto the next bar stool.

“Just drop it, okay Ray?” Sara sighed, dropping a shot.

“But I mean what he said wasn’t okay. You seemed upset.”

“I just don’t like when people point it out. How different I am. I just want to be. Just exist and do my thing, you know? I just wasn’t feeling very… womanly today. Its not a big deal and Rory made it into a big deal.”

“Rory makes lots of things that don’t matter into a big deal.” Ray responded, putting a shot glass to his lips before cringing away from the taste. Sara grinned slightly, taking the shot glass from Ray gently and slamming it back. “Like this.”

“It’s not even a big deal to me, Ray. I just live my life how I feel. I’ve always just done whatever I needed to do to… feel comfortable in my own skin, I guess. I never thought I was that weird because nobody in my family ever said anything about it. Laurel dressed in pink and put on a skirt for every event and I just did my own thing. Sometimes it was pink skirts and other times it was ties and vests.”

“There’s nothing wrong with doing your own thing.” Ray replied as Sara took another shot.

“Spending a lot of time with Kendra and then with you boys made me realize how different I really am. I forget that it’s not… normal to feel like this.”

“Feel like what?” Sara side-eyed Ray before sighing and knocking back another shot.

“Sometimes, it just feels wrong to wear something ‘womanly’. Some days, the thought of that femininity makes my skin crawl. Wearing a dress today… I would have felt so awkward. So out of place, so out of myself.”

“Like pretending. Like playing dress up.”

Sara nodded. “Other days I feel incredible, empowered. Like when we went back to get Carter’s body. I wore two different dresses on each half of that mission. It made me feel so confident and beautiful and… right. I just don’t understand how one day, one thing can make me feel so strong, and the next day the same exact thing makes me feel so vulnerable.”

“I mean, you’re bisexual. Maybe your gender identity isn’t… completely ‘straight’ either.” Ray suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s lots of different ways to be, Sara. So, you’re a little different from Kendra and Jax and Rory and me. You’re still the most badass person I’ve ever met. How you present yourself doesn’t change any of that, and it doesn’t matter. What matters is what makes you happy, what makes you _you_.”

Sara seemed to be considering what Ray had said for a moment before grinning, slamming another shot back, and standing. She gripped Ray’s shoulder firmly. “Thanks, Ray. That means a lot.”

“Of course. You’re my friend no matter what.”


	5. Waffles: The Surperior Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Fifth: AU (Free-for-all)   
> College AU Where Ava is a relentless morning person who does to the dining hall bright and early for a waffle every day. One day, Sara has a schedule change that has her grumpily waiting at the waffle station.  
> (My zest for AUs beyond the cheeky and-they-were-happy rewrites has left the building so I apologize.)

When Ava got to the dining hall bright and early she noticed someone else standing in front of the waffle maker, fingers tapping on the counter restlessly. Ava paused. _I thought I was the only one who actually liked the waffle station,_ she thought to herself, coming to stand politely next to the petite blonde.

“Good morning!” Ava greeted cheerfully.

The short woman side eyed her before twiddling her fingers in a half-hearted wave. “Hey.” The woman took a deep drought of coffee before turning to face Ava. “Sorry, that was rude. I’m just not much of a morning person.”

“Its ok.” Ava responded. “I figured. I’m usually the only one at this station this early in the morning.”

“You eat waffles for breakfast every morning?” The woman raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I like structure and routine.”

“Fair enough. Sara.” The woman held out a hand.

“Ava.” Ava clasped it warmly, smiling genuinely. “What are you doing up so early then, if you don’t mind my asking.”

“I had to go home for a couple of days and missed an exam.”

“Ew, 8 am exam make-up?” Ava cringed sympathetically.

Sara nodded sighing. The waffle machine screeched, interrupting their casual conversation. Sara swore under her breath, nearly jumping out of her skin. “Does… does it have to sound like a puppy being hit by a car projected over a P.A. system?”

Ava choked on her own sip of coffee.

“Sorry, that was morbid.” Sara apologized, flopping the waffle onto a plate with a slight chuckle.

“No, no, it’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.” Ava snorted, swiping the measuring cup with a fork to catch the drip as she finished pouring the batter. Ava side-eyed Sara as she moved on to toppings, pouring on butterscotch. “Butterscotch? On a waffle?”

“Oh yeah.” Sara grinned, sticking a sticky finger tip in her mouth. “It sounds weird but its soooo good.”

“It’s breakfast. That’s… a lot of sugar for breakfast.” Ava paused when the can of whipped cream squelched to life. She watched as Sara buried the poor waffle under a cascade of cream before flopping her own waffle onto a plate. Ava carefully picked out a wide array of berries, stacking a small wall on the edge of her plate while Sara tapped sprinkles over the heaping pile of cream.

“Calories don’t count before 8 a.m.” Sara replied with a smirk. Ava felt herself gulping at that smirk.

“Hey, wanna sit with me?” Ava asked abruptly before cringing silently at herself.

Sara shrugged and pursed her lips slightly. “Sure.”

Ava led the way. She couldn’t tell if Sara was actually looking at her butt or if she was just paranoid.

The girls sat across from each other. Ava became hyper-aware of just how long her legs were as she shifted, searching for a position to avoid any physical connection with the shorter woman, who, it seemed, was stretching her legs out as far as possible. Sara dug hungrily into her heap of cream, sprinkles, and butterscotch. Ava was surprised to see the bread make an appearance on the fork. Ava cut and ate her waffle methodically, skewering a berry every few bites. She watched in frank amazement as the skinny young woman wolfed down the waffle. Sara looked up at Ava, who hadn’t realized she had been staring.

“What?” The woman asked with a devilish grin. Something told Ava that Sara knew just _what._

“You’ve… ah…” Ava sheepishly gestured to her own nose. “Got some whipped cream.”

Sara’s grin widened and she cocked her head slightly. Ava noticed she was the only one with a napkin. She lifted the cloth in a silent _may i?_ before touching it gently to the woman’s face, removing the cream. Ava gently set the napkin down again without breaking contact with Sara's shimmering eyes. The spell broke after a moment as Sara stood and put away her dishes.

“See you tomorrow morning, Ava.” Sara grinned, flicking a small flirtatious wave over her shoulder, her hips in a slightly exaggerated sway as she left the dining hall.

Ava gulped. "Oh my god."


	6. The Potential Of You And Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Sixth: Discovery   
> Sara is straight. Probably. But she finds herself catching feelings for one Nyssa al-Guhl, heir to the demon, and her mentor and teacher at the League of Assassins.  
> AKA-- Baby Bi Sara being a disaster and realizing she has a crush on Nyssa.  
> (This is the first kiss I've ever written ever so I really appreciate feedback so I can learn! :) )

Pain blossomed across Sara’s knuckles and she recoiled, dropping the staff with a clatter.

“Focus.” The other woman chided.

Sara gasped and rubbed at her knuckles, waiting for the prickling of pain to leave. Her knuckles were red and swollen, the skin broken open and bleeding in several places.

“Ta-er al-Sahfer.” The woman scolded more firmly. “Bring your attention back. You must always focus on the opponent.”

Sara bent and plucked up her training staff again, standing at the ready. Nyssa was pulling her punches more than usual, keenly aware of the other woman’s distraction.

“What has been distracting you?” Nyssa asked, standing down after laying another firm smack to Sara’s ribs.

Sara ground her teeth against the shock of pain. “I’m not distracted.” Sara grumbled. “I’m just tired of you beating the crap out of me.”

“Pain--” Nyssa was swiftly interrupted.

“-- is the greatest teacher, yeah yeah. I know.” Sara threw her staff to the ground with a clatter, stalking over to a water basin. She stuck her hands in and hissed as the water made contact with the split skin.

Nyssa padded lightly over, moving swiftly and silently, to stand tightly against her side. Sara felt keenly aware of the new warmth against her side and the breath tickling her shoulder. Nyssa reached out and took Sara’s hands in her own, studying her knuckles. The water in the basin was tainted with her blood.

“You will need to wrap you hand.” Nyssa announced before letting go. Sara was keenly and painfully aware of the missed contact nearly immediately and found herself letting out a breath the didn’t know she had held. “We shall be done with staff training for the morning. Go change.”

Sara nodded and half-bowed before leaving the Heir’s presence. She walked languidly to her chambers, knowing that the pace would anger her teacher, yet not caring, finding herself desperate for even the shortest break. Her hands, although pained and bleeding, felt the emptiness where Nyssa had so briefly held her hand to examine the tears. She pulled her training tunic off, wincing at the protest in her shoulder and bicep. She trailed over to the mirror and ran her hand lightly over the quickly forming bruise on her ribs, wincing.

The truth was, she _had_ been distracted. Sara knew it and, worse, Nyssa knew it. The problem was, Sara had no idea what was distracting her. If she hadn’t known better, she would have said it was Nyssa herself.

Sara pictured the gorgeous woman-- her raven locks that looked so soft, her delicate lips, her cheek bones, her breathtaking dark eyes, the lean strength of the muscle in her arms, the way she moved…

Sara started, shaken back to reality. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Was she… flushed? Sara touched her cheeks, feeling the warmth of them and noticed the quickness in her pulse. _It must be a flush left over from training, right?_ Sara thought to herself as she pulled a clean tunic over her head and slipped into some sandals. _I can’t have a crush on Nyssa al-Guhl._

҉

The oppressive heat of Nanda Parbat only made sitting still harder, Sara thought ruefully as she tried to settle on the cushion. Nyssa struck a match and lit the giant candle between them before settling gracefully down onto her own cushion.

The light seared into Sara’s retinas after she had just adjusted to the darkness of the cave-like meditation chamber. She flinched but noticed that Nyssa didn’t so much as blink.

The proximity of the candle made Sara’s skin crawl, the flame feeling like the last straw for the hot and frustrated woman.

“Ta-er al-Sahfer.” The woman’s stern voice scolded again. “You must sit still. We are here to practice patience and to clear your mind.”

“It’s so hot and everything hurts.” Sara whined. Nyssa sighed.

“You must learn to tolerate your discomfort, Ta-er al-Sahfer.” Sara wiggled in discomfort again and whined. “You are impossible! Now sit still and focus!”

The tone of Nyssa’s voice told Sara she would be scrubbing chamber floors or carrying water if she didn’t become serious quickly. She folded her legs and straightened her back with a huff before lazily meeting the woman’s eyes, signaling her readiness to begin the guided meditation.

The way the firelight danced across Nyssa’s dark eyes made Sara’s breath catch in her throat. The way the flame played with shadows across the woman’s face was hauntingly beautiful. The light danced across delicate yet firm angles and lines.

Nyssa sternly cleared her throat, jolting Sara back into the exercise. _What is wrong with me?_ Sara chided herself. _Sure, Nyssa is objectively attractive. Noticing that doesn’t make me gay… does it? I don’t have any_ feelings _for her. It’s just healthy, casual jealousy at the beauty of another woman._

“Focus in on the task, Ta-er al-Sahfer. Stop letting your mind wander unchecked.”

҉

“I have seen how you have been staring at me as of late, Ta-er al-Sahfer.” Sara felt herself jump out of her skin at the woman’s voice. Sara hadn’t quite mastered the moving like a ghost part of being an assassin and the silence of Nyssa always amazed her. She found herself incredibly jumpy, constantly expecting Nyssa or another master to materialize out of thin air.

“Staring? I haven’t been staring.” Sara blanched, feeling heat rise to her face. She kept her back turned as she re-wrapped her knuckles for the night, praying that Nyssa wouldn’t notice her flush.

“It is quite obvious that you find me attractive.” Nyssa replied, her voice now directly behind her. Sara whirled, gasping. A smug grin tugged at the edge of Nyssa’s perfect lips. Lips that would feel so good… Sara gasped, eyes winding and slightly parted lips snapping shut. She flinched away, pacing across her small chamber, squeezing her eyes shut. _What happened to being straight!?_

Nyssa held her position. “I find myself feeling fairly attracted to you, as well.”

“I’m not…I mean, I haven’t…. I just… I don’t…” Sara stumbled over her words as she felt her flush deepen.

Before Sara could utter any coherent thought, Nyssa had crossed the room like a cool breeze on a warm day and met Sara’s lips in a kiss.

Sara stiffened, her eyes widening. Her gasp of shock opened her mouth enough for Nyssa to gain entrance, deepening the kiss. Sara felt herself falling, her bandaged hand reaching up to tenderly rest against Nyssa’s jaw as the other woman held her tightly, one arm snaking around her waist while the other hand clutched at the back of her neck.

Nyssa’s lips were both as soft and as firm as Sara had guessed. Nyssa used the arm around Sara’s waist to bring the other woman in closer and Sara found herself arching into the contact. She smelled like… warmth and sweat and leather, like a warm breeze rifling through the grass of a meadow on a scorching summers day.

Sara didn’t fight and she didn’t ask herself questions. It felt too... right. 

She just melted into Nyssa.


	7. Always There When You Wake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Seventh: Underground   
> (Disclaimer! I have not a single clue what this concept prompt is supposed to mean so I just wrote something only vaguely related.)  
> Sara has a nightmare about something new: Being buried alive. After a mission ends with them moments away from being buried in a cave-in, new fears keep her up at night. Ava comforts her.

Soil was everywhere, in her eyes and nose and mouth, down her throat and in her lungs. Soil pulled at every limb, like a million hands grasping at her arms and legs and hands and feet and torso, holding her back, holding her down. Suffocating her.

Sara writhed, but the soil only seemed to get heavier, more constricting. Everywhere was darkness, surrounding her, earth blotting out her sight and hearing. Every time she opened her mouth to scream, more dirt felt inside, leaving her retching and gasping, frantically out of breath. Sara clawed desperately at the churning mass of earth below her, but her hands could gain no purchase. Grains slipped between her grasping fingers. It felt like trying to hold onto water. She was being dragged, down into the darkness…

Sara woke up panting, the sheets pulled off the bed corners and the blanket and pillows strewn across the floor. She gasped, frantically looking around, claustrophobia pressing down on her chest like a boulder. She heard a strangled sound escape her lips.

“Sara?” Ava asked, rushing into the room, morning coffee abandoned on the counter. She didn’t even hesitate to examine the dishevelment, just immediately strode over to the bed to comfort Sara. She sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling the wild-eyed, gasping woman into the safety of her grasp. “It’s okay, baby. You’re home, you’re safe here with me.” Ava whispered calmingly into the top of Sara’s head.

Sara melted into the contact with one last strangled sob. She became aware of the wetness on her cheeks when the fabric of Ava’s robe clung to them.

“It’s okay, baby.” Ava whispered again, squeezing Sara tight with one arm while the other hand rubbed slow circles on her back.

Sara squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Aves.” Sara whispered a few moments later, voice hoarse.

“Don’t apologize, babe. You had a nightmare.” Sara pulled out of the crook of Ava’s neck for a breath. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Its nothing, babe.” Sara grumbled, whipping her nose on the edge of her sleeve like a little kid. “I guess the last mission-disaster got to me a little bit.”

Ava squeezed Sara’s shoulders again.

“I was being buried alive, like I was being dragged under the ground after the cave-in by some… thing. I don’t know. It was just scary.”

Ava nodded slightly as the shorter woman lowered her head to rest on her shoulder.

“Being… buried… never really bothered me before. A lot of people have that phobia, of being buried alive. It never bothered me before. But since the cave almost collapsed on our heads, I’ve been having fears of being buried alive. Like, at my grave. I’m just laying there and Oliver’s and my dad's and Laurel's faces are peering over the edge and then the dirt comes raining down and I can’t move and I just get buried in my grave alive.” Sara pauses to take another deep breath and a gulp of water from the glass on the bedside table. “But this was… different. I was struggling so hard but no matter what I did something just kept dragging me down. Like I belonged in the ground, like I was returning.”

Ava kissed Sara’s forehead and kept making small, comforting circles on her back.

“I’m sorry.” Sara whispered again.

“For what, babe? You had a nightmare. People have those. It’s not your fault and there’s nothing you could do.” Ava gently pulled Sara into her lap. Ava could feel her trembling slightly under her touch.

“No, I’m sorry about tearing the bed apart. And making you worry.”

Ava sighed. “I love you, Sara. Sheets can go back on a bed. And of course I worry, you’re my girlfriend. That’s what girlfriends do—worry about each other.”

Ava focused on all the ways their bodies were touching, all the sensations of just sitting there with her trembling girlfriend hunched in her lap. Ava felt her heart wrench. She hated that Sara hurt so much.

“I wish I could make your nightmares go away, Sara.”

“Me too.” Sara replied languidly, the adrenaline wearing off and the emotions exhausting her. Sara nuzzled gently into Ava again and Ava leaned back against the headboard, resolving to just hold her scared girlfriend, if only for a little while.


	8. You're My Disaster Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Eighth: Elevator  
> Sara and Ava get trapped in an elevator. What else is there to say?  
> (Yes, I know this one is a bit short and... lack luster. I'm really not comfortable with writing straight up smut and I'm also trying to keep the rating of this whole writing challenge down, so I didn't go too far with this one. Sorry :(. I'm working early and hard on the next few chapters!)

The lights in the elevator flickered.

“That’s… probably not a good sign.” Sara mumbled.

“Yeah, probably not.” Ava agreed, glancing up at the light fixture as it flickered again. The carriage seemed to hesitate for a moment.

“Please don’t stop.” Sara whispered, closing her eyes and leaning her head back on the wall.

The elevator hiccuped and came to a grinding halt, the lights dying.

“Oh my god.” Sara sighed, following the wall down to the floor.

“It’s okay, it’s good! I’ll just hit the button and call for help…” Ava said, pressing the large red button.

“ _Elevator?”_ A teenage boy’s voice emanated from the speaker.

“Yeah. We’re stuck.”

“ _Stuck? Like not moving?”_

Sara groaned, her head dropping into her knees. Ava held up a hand, as if silently begging Sara to be quiet.

“Yes.”

“ _Oh. Oh! I’ll, uh, call the technician I guess? Right?”_

“That would probably be helpful, yes.” Ava put every effort into sounding patient.

“Einstein over here.” Sara pushed herself to her feet. “And I should know. I’ve meet Einstein. And his equally-genius wife.” Sara rested a hand against the elevator door before looking up to the emergency hatch on the ceiling.

“No, Sara, don’t even think about it!” Ava chided.

“What, finding our own way out of this mess?”

“It’s better and safer if we just wait for help.” Ava replied.

“Since when have I ever cared about ‘safe’?” Sara crossed her arms. 

“ _Yeah, the tech’s on his way, I guess.”_

“You guess?” Sara protested.

“Shhh, babe, its okay.” Ava held out her hand again before turning to address the boy. “How long?”

“ _Yeah, he said he’s probably about ten minutes out but restarting the elevator and bringing it down usually takes about two hours.”_

“Two hours!”

“Sara!” Ava exhaled. “Yes, thanks. We’ll sit tight.”

“No I will not!” Sara smacked a palm against the door, as if trying to motivate the elevator to move, like an anxious horse. “I am not going to stay trapped in this suspended coffin for two hours!”

Ava _Oh_ ’d softly, realizing. The tight space hadn’t been comfortable to Ava and she had assumed that the assassin’s restless nature would make such discomfort worse. She hadn’t considered the implications of the tight, rectangular, dark compartment for Sara. Even though the woman had been thoroughly dead the whole time she had been underground, Ava couldn’t imagine how weird it was knowing your body was resting in a coffin for more than a year.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay babe.” Ava grinned. “Let me… distract you?”

“You’re going to have to come up with something a little better than I-Spy to distract me from this.” Sara grumbled, for once oblivious to Ava’s suggestive flirting.

“I have a few ideas.” Ava chuckled, bringing Sara into a kiss.

“Mmmm.” Sara hummed, meeting Ava and challenging her girlfriend to deepen the kiss. Ava roughly pushed Sara against the wall of the compartment.

Moments later, the women broke apart, gasping for breath.

“Is that better?” Ava grinned.

“I don’t know.” Sara pouted her lips slightly. “I think I could use a little more… distracting.”

“I think I can do that.”


	9. Just One Step At A Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Ninth: Closet  
> Coming home from Nanda Parbat, Sara has two secrets: Where she's been and who she's been with. She knows Oliver deserves to know both, especially after he agreed not to tell anyone she was alive. But telling Oliver everything all at once feels like too much.   
> (Idea accidentally born out of a crackhead 2 am shower thought of "What if i did a smoaking canary slow burn?")  
> (Also, did i spend 45 minutes swiping through all of season 2 to find a very specific scene for reference? Yes. Did i then spend roughly 3 hours writing this, rewinding the same two scenes over and over again? Yes. For the record, it's 2x5, which is probably where I should have started but no one accused me of being intelligent.)  
> (I worked really hard on this and I like it so I hope you do too!)

“You’re cute.” Sara grinned.

Initially, her stomach had dropped when the two newcomers had walked into the room. Oliver had been the only one who actually knew she was back. Who actually knew she was alive. And these people, Felicity and Diggle, added variables to the equation.

Sara didn’t like variables.

She had accepted Oliver into her life because they had history. She also knew that it was only a matter of time before Oliver caught her. It had simply been sooner, rather than later. Which was a bit unfortunate but at that point it couldn’t have been helped.

At first, it felt like a breech of trust. Oliver hadn’t told her about any ‘friends’. He hadn’t asked her to meet them or asked her before telling them who she was. He had dragged her to a dead-end, in his weird basement-layer, cornered her, and invited two strangers into her life. Sara had found herself biting her tongue as Oliver introduced them to her, fighting back some version of _What the hell, Ollie?!_. She could feel her eyes nervously flitting around, taking in all the details that she could without staring.

She couldn’t help but notice the poorly disguised disapproving look on John Diggle’s face. “Welcome home, Sara.” Diggle’s tone of voice didn’t seem particularly warm or welcoming and he pursed his lips after speaking.

The short blonde on the other hand…

Felicity Smoak had an open, friendly smile on her face. Whereas Diggle had seemed to be keeping his distance, staying put just behind Oliver’s space, Felicity bridged the gap dauntlessly.

“I’m glad you’re not dead anymore. I mean, I didn’t know you before you didn’t die the first time. I’m still glad you’re alive.” Felicity had babbled. Sara couldn’t help the small grin she had felt tugging her lips at the awkward blonde.

Sara’s mind had blanked. “You’re cute.” was the only thing she could think to say. It was the hard truth: within moments, Sara found herself trusting Felicity. And maybe something a bit more.

Diggle hadn’t broken his judgmental stare from a distance, as if warning Sara, or trying to pin her in place.

Sara had to hold back a sigh of relief when Oliver busted in before Felicity could respond to her comment or Diggle could ask any questions. “We just had an uninvited guest in the Queen Mansion.” His quick redirection of the conversation snapped everyone’s attention away from the awkward first meeting to the task at hand.

This was not how she was trying to tell Oliver anything about herself. She mentally kicked herself, part of her wishing she’d brought this up to Oliver before and just got it out of the way. Or maybe she shouldn't have taken up Oliver's offer to sleep in a real bed and just stayed in her tower, where he couldn't get involved. 

Sara immediately stopped feeling grateful for the deviation as Oliver continued.

“Trained. Highly skilled. He was dressed like Merlyn.”

“Last I checked, Malcolm Merlyn was dead, courtesy of an arrow jammed through his heart.” Diggle protested.

“It wasn’t him. It was a follower… and underling bent on revenge.” Sara found herself staring at the floor anxiously at the turn of events. This was another thing she hadn’t wanted Oliver to find out in this way. Preferably, not at all. After the assassin had broken in through his window, Sara had realized that nobody knowing about this was now a luxury that she could no longer afford, for their safety. She had been debating since the attack on how to best tell Oliver. But then John and Felicity had walked in.

“Whoever it was, he knows who I am.” Oliver palmed Felicity a bag of dirt.

“Gee, I didn’t get _you_ a bag of dirt.” Felicity led the way to the adjacent workstation, Oliver’s hand resting gently on her shoulder while Diggle respectfully brought up the other side of the woman.

A pit formed solidly in Sara’s stomach as she slowly rotated to follow the trio. She swallowed past a lump in her throat. Who knew coming out would be so hard?

Would coming out as bisexual be half as hard as telling Oliver she was an assassin on the run from a legendary organization of killers?

“I found it in the house. Copy-cat Merlyn tracked it in.” Sara’s lips parted gently as if to break her silence but no sound came out, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes flicked wildly, panicked. “I want you to analyze it. Hopefully it will lead me right to him.”

Sara felt panic building in her chest, choking her.

“And then what?” Felicity asked sensibly, eyes already focused in on her screen.

“If this pretender wants to follow Malcolm Merlyn so badly, he can follow him right into a grave.” Sara flinched, her back facing the trio as she turned her body towards the glass case displaying Oliver's Arrow uniform.

“Sara, we’ll find this guy.”

 _I really hope you don’t._ Sara thought breathlessly.

Felicity began tapping at her keyboard while Oliver looked over the woman’s shoulder. Diggle examined the dirt, body facing Felicity almost protectively. She felt like her skin was crawling. She _had_ to say something to stop them. Before they got hurt. Sara closed her eyes, bracing herself and took a deep breath.

“I don’t want you to.” Sara whispered, back still turned. She felt three pairs of eyes level on her sharply and took another breath before slowly turning to face them.

“What do you mean?”

 _Here goes nothing._ “He wasn’t after you, Ollie. He’s after me.” It took all of her will power to keep her eye contact as Oliver took a step closer, towering over her. Composure was key. She mustered force behind her icy blues, trying to negate the height difference with intensity. If you’re small, you have to act bigger than your opponent.

“Who is he?”

“He’s called Al-Owal. The first.” Sara felt her resolve crumbling as she started talking, eyes flickering anywhere but Oliver's face. Every word put her closer to the faithful sentence. “And he’s a member of the League of Assassins.”

It was out. _She_ was out. She braced herself for the fallout. She watched as his face tumbled through a cascade of indiscernible emotions in a few seconds, punctuated by a sharp intake of breath: jarred, surprised, panicked. Hurt. His eyes blinked as rapidly as her heartbeat for a few moments as thoughts raced through his head. He pursed his lips but Diggle broke in before he could say anything.

“Wait, wait. League of Assassins? I thought they were a myth.”

Oliver stalked away from Sara, mind racing. He stared forlornly at his disguise as an excuse to not have to meet Sara’s gaze.

"What's the League of Assassins?" Felicity asked.

“It’s an urban legend I heard about when I was in Afghanistan.” Diggle continued. Sara followed her glance to Oliver’s back, filled with dread. Oliver stared ahead, tight lipped. “From a tribal leader. He claimed that there was an ancient sect of assassins, deadly warriors that killed and vanished like ghosts.”

While Diggle mulled over the legend, Oliver’s gaze trailed over his shoulder to scrutinize Sara, who shamefully dropped her own gaze to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, willing the brimming tears to go away as Oliver returned his gaze to the glass.

“I tried to tell you, Ollie, but you wouldn’t listen.” Oliver turned to face Sara, betrayal and hurt on his face.

“That’s where you’ve been the last four years. That’s where you learned to fight.”

She nodded, not trusting her voice. She swallowed a lump in her throat, her eyes burning and chest aching. She could see the hurt in Oliver’s eyes in their own moisture.

“You’re one of them.”

҉

The bloody gauze sat in a pile beside her as she leaned over the table, corset positioned protectively over her breasts. Oliver set the needle down and gently placed a hand on her shoulder for just a moment. “Done.” Oliver whispered, almost tenderly.

He walked away as Sara slowly righted herself, consciously holding her corset to chest as she stretched the muscles in her back, testing the sensation of the new sutures. Without a second thought, Felicity rounded the table, fresh shirt in hand. _Maybe I should have said something to them earlier._ Sara thought, gaze following Felicity. _Maybe then Felicity wouldn’t be about to see me topless._

Sara gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, lowering the protective leather as Felicity sorted the shirt out. She could feel Diggle’s gaze burning into her back for the first time since Oliver unceremoniously tore her jacket off and unwound her laces. Sara felt a peculiar yet deep gratefulness that Oliver hadn’t paused in his medic efforts, and that none of them had remarked on her scars. Felicity had the grace to keep her eyes on Sara’s face. Sara knew that most people would have glanced down, at least out of morbid curiosity on what other marks she might have, if not to simply look at a woman’s boobs. Sara fought the flush that the concept of Felicity checking her out brought to her face.

The stitches pulled painfully at her skin as she drew the shirt over her head, foregoing any bra. The injury didn’t hurt as much as it could have. She could have been paralyzed or seriously injured, but her leathers had protected her and turned the slash into a shallow cut. For this, Sara was grateful.

She hadn’t felt self-conscious about her nakedness until Felicity had rounded the table. Oliver’s calloused hands stitching up her back felt just medical enough, just impersonal enough, that it hadn’t occurred to her to feel uncomfortable. Plus, she knew that Ollie understood scars. Her only discomfort came from Felicity’s squeamish observations of the tabletop procedure and Sara’s nagging feelings over the woman.

She hoped Oliver or Diggle, or, god forbid, Felicity herself, hadn’t noticed how she’d been acting around the other blonde. Sara steeled herself for a second grand announcement to Oliver. It was better to be up front about this than for him to side-eye and wonder about her behavior or find out some other way. God, if Nyssa came to town…

“This assassin thing isn’t the only thing you should know about me, Ollie.” Sara looked down as she toed the ground, back facing Felicity.

“Yeah? What’s wrong, Sara.”

She glanced up. Oliver was staring at her intently with anxiety poorly masked behind his eyes. The image of his disappointed and betrayed face when she told him about the League flashed before her eyes.

 _I can’t do this._ Sara gulped. “Never mind. It’s not important.” Sara pursed her lips before crossing her arms and trailing away.

 _Perhaps one closet at a time,_ Sara thought to herself dejectedly.


	10. Tell Me All You're Secrets [I'll Still Love You]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Tenth: Coming Out  
> Sara returns to Starling City again when Oliver contacts her to tell her Laurel needs help. Little does she know, Nyssa is using Laurel to draw her back in. This was not how Sara wanted to come out to Oliver.  
> (This is potentially pretty emotionally heavy.)  
> (Honestly my first idea for writing again was a coming out Ficlet, in which Sara comes out to everyone. I love how its not a big deal for her character, that every person she meets just accepts her and she doesn't have to come out but at the same time I feel like it would have been good for at least one person, particularly her Family or Oliver, to have a heartfelt scene with that. Also it annoys me that Bisexual never actually comes out of Sara's mouth. I wanted Sara Fluff and almost created a whole fic out of it lol.)   
> (This is kind of a pseudo-continuation of yesterday.)

Sara hadn’t realized that Oliver had been tailing her. She had been so focused on getting away that any audio or visual clues that she was being tailed had slipped past her radar. Plus, it was easier to leave if you didn’t look back or think about it.

Sara also hadn’t realized that Nyssa had made it to town, although she supposed that was probably the whole point. She had been so much faster than Sara had predicted, but she supposed that Nyssa, being the most determined woman she had ever met, would step into high gear over this.

She had almost felt… relieved… when Nyssa had delicately landed in front of her. No matter how it ended, it was about to end. Sara found herself glued to the spot as Nyssa approached her, wicked knife bared in the chilly night air. Sara didn’t feel ready to die, but at least she was going to die in the arms of the woman she loved.

So Sara had braced herself for the sharp pain of death as Nyssa drew close. Instead, she felt the sweet breath of life as the woman pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Sara had melted into Nyssa. No, she wasn’t ready to die yet. Life was still too savory.

҉

Oliver was just so frustrated with Sara. She just came and went whenever she pleased, avoiding attachment and connection. How could he make her see that this wasn’t good, that she couldn’t live like this? Oliver resolved to tail Sara from the Chinese restaurant she and her dad liked. And he did.

Since she'd come back, Sara had been full of twists—the first one being that she hadn’t gone down with the Amazo, the second being that she was a member of the League of Assassins.

This was a twist Oliver could never have predicted.

Sara had just stood there as the strange woman approached. _What the hell is she doing?_ Oliver had thought frustratedly, drawing his bow, every muscle in his body taut at the gleam of the streetlights on the blade the mystery woman held. Oliver wasn’t going to launch the arrow until Sara seemed to be in real danger. Sara had proved capable of looking after herself-- surely she had a plan and was simply waiting to execute it based on the distance of the woman.

He watched as the woman roughly grabbed Sara, her blade flat.

He watched as she pulled Sara into a rough and hungry kiss. His heart sank as he lowered the bow.

҉

Sara floated on the cloud of her kiss. Which was why she hadn’t heard the Arrow approach them. But Nyssa was always aware, turning to face the hooded man. “Do we need permission from your boyfriend?”

The sight of Oliver made her stomach drop and she wondered how much he had seen. Logic told her that he would have been tailing her since the restaurant, and that he saw everything. A small part in the corner of her heart prayed that he hadn’t, that today was not the day she would be coming out to him. Even though it definitely was.

Sara felt herself flinch as Nyssa turned to address Oliver. She tensed, waiting for something bad to happen.

҉

Sara had looked so genuinely confused to see him standing there. Had she really not noticed him tailing her? She had been upset, but still. Oliver knew he didn’t have half the stealth in his whole body that Sara had gained in just her little finger. Her head had been in the clouds and she could have gotten killed.

Her head had been in the clouds and on the woman and she had been a breath away from lying dead on the ground, if the woman had not shown mercy.

Oliver felt his lips tighten into a frown as Sara’s panicked gaze looked to him. The other woman seemed grossly cocky, unbothered. Based on the woman’s entrance, she was from the League and had been completely aware of his presence the whole time. Hell, she might have been tailing Sara as long as he had.

She faced him so confidentially. “I am Nyssa, Daughter of Ra’s al-Guhl, Heir to the Demon.”

“What are you doing here?” Oliver growled, forcing his tumultuous emotions over Sara and the woman into the background.

“Sara swore her allegiance.” Nyssa replied simply, coolly. “It’s time for her to return home.”

Despite everything, Oliver’s gut still screamed to protect Sara. He didn’t understand what was going on but he did understand that this woman was very dangerous. “That is not going to happen.”

҉

Sara strode forward, hurriedly placing herself directly in front of Nyssa before she could do anything. “Nyssa.” Sara begged. The intense dark eyes met Sara’s terrified blue ones. “Please, give us a moment.”

“Take your time.” Nyssa replied evenly. “Goodbyes are never easy. Is that why I didn’t get one?”

Nyssa’s gaze was almost a dare. She withdrew and glided past Oliver. Sara blinked the moisture from her eyes. She felt like she was being pulled in different, irreconcilable directions. She was being torn in two and she didn’t know what to do. 

҉

“I can explain.” Sara whispered, closing the distance between her and Oliver. Oliver felt his frown harden. At the moment, Oliver didn’t particularly feel like listening to more of her half-truths.

“You don’t have to.” Oliver replied. It hit him how torn, how stricken, Sara looked as she gazed up at him. It also hit him how sorrow had crept its way into his voice. “But you’re not leaving. I don’t trust her.”

“Then trust me.” Sara whispered, walked past him slowly.

Oliver watched the two women trail away and he felt like punching something.

҉

Sara walked into the Arrow Cave about an hour later, the walls echoing with the dull thuds of combat with a practice dummy. Felicity and Diggle were watching him from a safe distance, recognizing that he was deep in emotion. Oliver didn’t pause in his assault. She hadn’t snuck in: she had approached deliberately and stood at the edge of training area, waiting for him to start the conversation. He didn’t.

“Oliver…” The smacks continued, flesh against the material harsh in the quiet space. “Can we talk?”

Oliver turned from the dummy and raised his arms exasperatedly. “I’m here. I’m listening.”

“I meant alone.” Felicity and Diggle traded a glance as if asking each other _does Sara sound nervous?_. Both stood and made to leave but Oliver held up his hand.

“Please, Ollie.” Sara was literally begging. Even Diggle shifted, feeling uncomfortable.

“You don’t get to call me Ollie anymore. Not until you pull your head out of your ass and start telling me the truth.” Oliver was surprised at the fury in his own voice. Sara visibly flinched.

“I’m done with killing people, with pulling hits. I ran away from the League. The League doesn’t like it when you run away. They are not going to let me go. I’ve told you everything already.”

“Not everything, Sara.” Oliver whispered, voice so quiet it sounded almost sad.

“Oliver, please.” Sara glanced over her shoulder at their audience.

“Another secret you want me to keep for you?” Venom dripped from his voice. Felicity flinched at Oliver’s harsh tone and Diggle started, surprised to hear his ire directed towards the much smaller woman.

“You don’t understand, Ollie.”

“No, I don’t understand.” Oliver sighed. Sara blinked again, hating the moisture she found there. “Did you ever care about me? Or was I just a game to get back at your sister?”

“I could ask you the same question.” Sara spat. She took a deep breath before continuing. “Oliver, please don’t me mad at me.”

“For what? For bringing the wrath of the deadliest man on this planet down on my city? For lying to me about everything?”

“No. For me.”

“Don’t be mad at you… for you?” Oliver sighed, exasperated. Anger still burned bright in his chest. “That doesn’t make any sense, Sara. You don’t make any sense!”

Sara was surprised at the sound that came out of herself. Oliver’s gaze snapped back around to her. She felt a hot tear slide down her left cheek and she hung her head, squeezing herself tighter.

“It makes perfect sense, Oliver. Because I did care about you. I wanted to be with you. And I felt like Laurel tricked me to get you, and I hated it. But you were never a game. Sometimes, I wonder if I was. I was always a game to everyone. So why not you too?”

Oliver sighed. “You were. Laurel was talking about apartments and a future and I didn’t want that. I wanted to hurt her.”

“Well, you killed me in the process.”

“I know, Sara. And I’m sorry.” It was Oliver’s turn to choke on the end of his sentence. “I apologize for being so rough to you tonight. I’m caught in my own emotions. I’m just so confused, Sara. Confused about Nyssa and what this means.”

They both stood in uncomfortable silence. Neither Felicity nor Diggle dared to move, terrified of accidentally breaking the moment.

“Before you left last time, after you killed Al-Owal, you said there was something else. Another thing about you that I needed to know, besides being an assassin. This was the other thing, wasn’t it?”

Sara nodded miserably. She felt tears stream unchecked down her face. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.”

“You didn’t want me to find out at all.” It wasn’t a question.

Sara sniffled and nodded. “Not if I could help it. If I could have stayed gone...”

Oliver felt his heart contract, sadness overwhelming him at the sight of the small, sobbing woman, so destroyed over such a simple thing. Did Sara really think he could hate her for this?

“I didn’t know how to tell you, how you’d take it. I didn’t want you to ask that question. It’s not a fair question, Oliver. I wasn’t a bad person back then. Or, I guess I wasn’t trying to be. I was head over heels for you and you picked Laurel. I was a dumb kid who wanted to feel loved and I thought that’s what you were going to offer.”

Oliver’s face softened.

“I’m bi, Oliver. And Nyssa was my lover.”

Oliver didn’t hug and Sara hated hugs: just this once she let herself melt into Oliver’s strong grip and let the sobs wash over her. Oliver closed his eyes and felt Sara tremble in his arms. He hated that he had unintentionally made her feel this way, like she couldn't tell him this. 

“How was I supposed to come back from the dead and tell you? How was I supposed to come back from the dead and face you at all? I came back for my family, Oliver, not you. But you caught me anyway and then everything was happening so fast and it… everything feels so horrible and overwhelming. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know.” Oliver whispered, rubbing her back gently. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“Nothing is ever going to be okay again, Ollie.” Sara sobbed. She hated how weak she was right then. “Because Nyssa is here. She poisoned Laurel to draw me in. She’s not going to let me go. She is apparently willing to hurt, or kill, my family. And it’s my fault because I brought her here. I can’t let that happen.”

Sara forcefully broke away from Oliver, sniffling, and began gathering her things. “I need to do something before my dad gets involved.”

“Wait, why?” Felicity broke her silence.

“Because if he gets involved then I’ll have to tell him the whole truth.” Sara sighed heavily, voice thick with emotional turmoil. “There’s a reason I begged Oliver to tell everyone that I died on the Gambit if I didn’t make it off the island. I wanted my family to remember me as I was. And I couldn’t be more different if tried. It would break my dad’s heart. I’ve already done that once. I can’t do it again.”

Sara felt so… weak. She hated feeling so weak. “I can’t come out to him. I don’t have the strength. I didn’t have the strength to tell you, Ollie. And you’re the only one I trust.”

“Wait, you don’t trust your dad?” Diggle sounded frankly dumbfounded.

“You didn’t know me before, Digg. It’s not that I don’t trust my father, its just that… he deserved better. He deserved a better old me and he deserves a better new me. He deserved a second Laurel and he got me instead.”

Sara swung the strap of her bag over her shoulder. She paused before walking past Oliver and gently put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

“I care about you either way, Sara. You being bi doesn’t change that. I care about you. Let me help you.”

Sara gave a weak smile. “Thank you, Oliver. But this is my fight.”


	11. Just For The Sake Of Time [WIth You}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Eleventh: Movies  
> Ava wants to treat Sara. Sara just wants to get away from the Time Kids.   
> (Heavily tied in with my ADHD!Sara headcannon)  
> (Not a particular time, just early season four before things get Real.)

“What kind of movies does Sara like to watch?” Ava asked, leaning against the island in the kitchen.

“I don’t think she does.” Ray responded thoughtfully.

“What? Who doesn’t like movies?” Nate protested, rounding the edge of the table to sit next to his best friend.

“I mean, have you ever seen Sara sit still for longer than five minutes? She doesn’t exactly have the attention span."

“Good point.” Nate shoved a bite of eggs into his mouth, not pausing for the conversation. “Why?”

“I just had an idea. I don’t know, it sounds silly now.”

“Come on, Ava, it can’t be that silly.” Nate said.

“It’s just that Sara and I don’t get to do a lot of couple-y things, you know. Like normal couple things. I just thought I’d ask her out to the movies.”

“That’s not silly, that’s actually really sweet.” Ray thought for another moment. “She might like action? It’s not so boring.”

“Yeah, but to be fair our actual lives have a ton of action.” Nate pointed out, biting the tip of a sausage. “It might be nice to unwind.”

“Maybe horror then?” Ray shrugged.

“No!” Ava choked. “God, no horror.”

“I thought serial killers are your thing? Stab cast and everything?”

“Yes but I don’t like ghosts, we deal with actual creatures in our jobs, and I don’t want to mess with zombies.”

Both Ray and Nate nodded _fair._ “Romance?” Nate tried again.

Ava’s glare told him that it was a bad idea. “Straight white people whining about how hard romance is? No thank you!”

“Yeah, Nate, that was kind of a bad choice.”

“Maybe you’re overthinking this whole date idea.” Nate suggested, lifting his arms defensively before anyone could say anything. “No, hear me out. Maybe you just go there and walk into whatever movie the ticket seller suggests. It’s the thought that counts, Sara knows that better than anyone. Maybe it’s just about getting shitty overpriced, over-buttered popcorn and giant sodas and sitting in a movie theater and hanging out with each other.”

“Nate makes a good point. Sara probably just wants to spend time with you in peace, without the chaos of being on the Waverider. Just pure, blissful, uninterrupted time.”

Ava nodded, taking a sip of her coffee thoughtfully. “Thanks guys.”

“Of course!” Ray beamed, sipping his own butter coffee.

҉

“Oh, we’re going to the movies huh?” Sara grinned, arm hooked loosely around Ava’s waist.

“Yeah. Its an excuse to ignore any frantic texts for the next three hours and just spend time together.”

“That’s so sweet.” Sara grinned. “Any plans?”

“Whatever’s showing. We don’t even have to sit through the movie, we just have to pretend we did.”

Sara giggled. God, Ava loved that giggle. “Nah, lets give it a try, babe.” God, Ava loved how Sara called her babe.

They approached the ticket counter. “Anything showing soon?”

“Yeah, theater opens for previews in ten minutes for _Meg._ Its about a big shark.”

Sara pursed her lips in a silent _why not,_ and Ava took the tickets, tucking them into her blazer pocket. Sara pouted lightly at the revocation of her ticket. “What? If I let you have it, you’ll shred it.” Ava replied defensively.

They trailed over to concessions. The line was short, the theater being mostly empty on the Thursday night. Sara leaned gently into Ava while they waited for the person in front of them.

“I legitimately don’t even know the last time I’ve been to a theater.” Sara mused allowed. “I think I was still a kid. I don’t even remember what movie it could have been.”

“Really? Why?”

“They don’t exactly have movie theaters in Nanda Parbat.” Sara replied lightly. “When I came back, I was too on edge. The thought of sitting in a darkened room with a bunch of strangers in a strange environment felt too uncomfortable. Then I died, so.”

“You know, that’s fair enough.” Ava conceded. “Share?”

“Yeah. Its more romantic that way.”

Ava ordered an obscenely large popcorn and soda. Sara immediately started sipping contentedly.

They wandered into the movie theater and settled comfortably in the back corner, both secretly knowing that not much movie watching was probably going to happen.


	12. I Didn't Believe in Fairy Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twelfth: Fairytale   
> Cinderella pops up in history and the best way to get to her is a good old fashioned party sneak.

“You look very gorgeous today, my lady.” Ava snickered.

Sara rolled her eyes and playfully shoved the woman. “Rude.”

“You look like you’ll fit right in, Captain!” Ray grinned. “The courts are lucky to have you.”

Sara groaned, fussing with the over-full dress.

“I’m with Sara on this one.” Zari groaned. “This is horrible.”

“It’s not _that_ bad.” Nate protested, straightening his cap in the mirror.

“Shut up, Nate. You’re in tights. I’m wearing 20 yards of fabric around a metal hoop.” Zari grumbled.

“Ok.” Sara clasped her hands. “Zari, Nate, Ava, and I go in and find Cinderalla. Ray, stay suited up for extraction on my mark. Mick, just stay here.”

҉

“This is probably the easiest party sneak we’ve ever done.” Nate observed as the group just walked in.

“Yeah, anyone who would want to sneak in probably couldn’t afford it.” Zari pointed out.

“Nate, Zari, stick together and go left. Ava and I will go right.” Sara ordered after surveying the wide-open space.

Ava locked arms with Sara and the strolled through the ballroom, searching faces and dresses.

“I still can’t believe Cinderella is real.” Nate chattered over comms.

“She’s not. That’s kind of the whole point, Nate.” Zari replied with a sigh. Ava and Sara shared a quick grin over the banter.

“This could almost be romantic.” Ava sighed, surveying the gorgeous ballroom with its sweeping ceiling and opulent chandeliers.

“Almost?”

“No one here is wearing deodorant and these dresses weigh like 40 pounds.” Ava complained. Sara pursed her lips and nodded _fair_.

“Oh! I’ve got eyes!” Nate whispered excitedly.

“Ok. Now we just have to get her out of the crowed.” Sara replied hurriedly.

“Yeah, our fairy tale princess is a bit too… engaged… with the prince.” Zari mumbled.

“Oh my god.” Ava groaned while Sara pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Okay. Plan B. Knock ‘em out.”

“Sara, you are _not_ serious.” Ava looked horrified.

Sara bounced one shoulder and hummed noncommittally. “Nate?”

“On it.”

Ava and Sara started weaving through the crowd, finding the four in a side hallway. Zari was lifting a blonde woman in a gauzy blue dress by the shoulders while Nate propped a young man up against the wall.

“Great. Nate, help Zari drag Cinderella to the extraction point. You ready, Ray?”

“Standing by!” He replied cheerfully.

Ava and Sara hovered to the doorway as Nate and Zari struggled with the unconscious woman, blocking any direct line of sight from the crowd.

“Did a Legend mission just go smoothly?” Ava asked jokingly.

“This is like our very own fairy tale.” Sara grinned.

The clock struck midnight and Ava pulled her girlfriend in for the kiss, soft orchestral music floating through the hall.


	13. A Night Spent With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Thirteenth: Graveyard Shift  
> Time pirates are after a book containing ancient knowledge. The team must protect the book and stop the pirates. But a late night shift sitting waiting in the guardhouse has Sara drooping with only Ava to keep her awake. Although that might not turn out to be such a bad thing...  
> (I apologize for an cultural inaccuracies and I did my best with what the internet could give me in the short period of time! I tried to be accurate.)

“Based on a new record appearing in my archives, on the 20th of June 2018 the Coptic Museum of Cairo, Egypt is burgled. The burglar absconds with more than 13 ancient manuscripts credited with containing most of our modern knowledge of an early movement known as Gnosticism.” Gideon reported.

“That definitely sounds like our pirate’s MO.” Ava replied, leaning up against the console.

“I don’t see who would buy that though. Wouldn’t they have been written in a dead language?” Zari protested.

“I don’t think a dead language would really be a problem for a time traveler.” Ray pointed out. “Or the type of person that buys ancient relics from time travelers.”

“What I don’t understand is what anyone would want with a bunch of ancient manuscripts about Gnosticism.” Nate puzzled, standing from his seat on the parlor stairs. “Its an extreme fringe Christian movement considered heretical by pretty much everyone.”

“Well, if it talks about religion, that probably means someone somewhen believes it holds a secret to the universe.” Sara pointed out. “Gideon, plot a course for Egypt.”

“Right away, Captain Lance.”

҉

“Everyone grab your flashlights, because we are going to stop a burglar.” Sara looked around at the disappointed faces of her crew. “What, any of you have anything better? No? Okay, lets go!”

Sara huffed and rolled her eyes. Everyone’s a critic. Ava appeared at her elbow, messing with the buckle on her belt. “Ava and I’ll take guardhouse. Nate and Zari, warehouse. Ray and Mick, lobby. Lets move out.”

“Hey, how come I get Mick?” Ray whined.

“How come I got haircut?” Mick grumbled in retaliation.

“This is a buddy system mission guys.” Sara snapped. “Just… don’t burn anything down.”

҉

Ava rapped authoritatively on the guardroom door. A short, anxious looking man opened the door a crack, peering out nervously. He relaxed a little at the familiar gray of the uniform.

“I thought I was on duty here tonight?”

“Yes, new recruit.” Ava replied smoothly, laying a firm hand on Sara’s shoulder. “Captain asked me to show her the ropes out here. Head up to gallery.” The man nodded, eyes wide.

“Yes, ma’am!” He scrambled out of the tiny outbuilding.

Ava sighed, relaxing as they entered and closed the door behind them.

“I do love a woman in a uniform.” Sara grinned mischievously, chasing Ava for a kiss. The taller woman smiled and laid a hand on Sara’s shoulder, lightly pushing her away.

“We’re on a mission.” Ava protested as Sara draped her arms around her neck, seeking leverage against the taller woman. Sara knocked the cap off of Ava’s head playfully before making a show of looking over both shoulders.

“It looks like we have some time.” Ava let herself be coerced into the kiss.

They were shortly interrupted by an arriving truck. Ava pulled her cap back on and grasped the clipboard, meeting the driver at the window. Sara didn’t recognize the face: the pirate they had been chasing had red hair and was clean shaven with a large scar on his chin. The driver of the truck seemed to be a regular man with a large black beard.

“Permit?” Ava asked, hand waiting. The man nodded, smiling kindly, and handed her the permit and inventory. Ava checked against the clipboard, matching ID numbers. “Everything looks to be in order. Have a good night.”

“You too, ma’am.” The man replied, driving forward once Sara had clicked open the metal gate.

The women stood in silence, waiting for chaos to break out over comms and keeping a look out for any tailers. When twenty minutes had passed with no interruption, Sara sighed and plopped into a rolling chair, groaning.

“What, you’re not bored already?” Ava asked, seemingly genuinely surprised.

“God, yes. Graveyard is always the worst.” Sara grumbled. “12 pm to 9 am? Only like five people are out doing anything and its always the people coming home from evening shifts or getting ready for early morning shifts. Nothing ever happens! All you do is sit there and wait.”

“That’s true.” Ava replied, not unkindly. “I think we could think of a little something to do.” Ava grinned, stepping up behind Sara and resting her strong hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders.

Sara let her head fall back against the chair, looking up into Ava’s face. “What happened to ‘we’re on a mission’?” Sara mocked.

Ava leaned in tantalizingly close. “We don’t have to make out if you don’t want to.”

Sara’s eyebrows shot up. “Hey, I never said I didn’t _want_ to…”

Her sentence trailed off into Ava’s gentle yet firm kiss.

Their lips broke and Ava pushed the edge of the backrest, pushing the chair around so Sara was facing her. Ava straddled her girlfriend, bending her neck fairly awkwardly to meet the shorter woman’s lips, hands wrapped around her neck. Sara deepened the kiss passionately, one arm snaking up to Ava’s lower back as the other trailed smoothly along the outside of her upper thigh, caressing.

Their tender moment was shattered when Ray’s panicked voice called for backup over comms.

“Dammit.” Sara groaned as Ava pulled herself out of her lap, straightening her uniform top.

“Don’t worry.” Ava grinned, her pointer finger pulling Sara out the door by a belt loop. “We’ll definitely continue that later.”


	14. Sweeter Than Whipped Cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Fourteenth: Coffee Shop  
> Ava and Sara take the afternoon off for a date, pressing pause on their busy lives to spend time together.

“This was a great idea, babes.” Ava grinned, inhaling the scent of fresh coffee and pastries. Sara grinned, hooking her pinkie through Ava’s as they got into line.

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Like crazy.” Ava found her gaze lingering on Sara’s face, noticing the way she scrunched her nose just a little while reading the menu board. When did she fall so in love?

“What can I get for you ladies?” The barista asked.

Sara nodded her go-ahead. “Um… can I do a mocha with extra whipped cream and chocolate sauce? And a coffee cake please.”

“Make that two coffee cakes. And I’ll just take a dark roast, black please.” The barista nodded and punched in a few numbers on his register. “Alright. That will be $10.95.”

Sara pulled out a wad of cash, fiddling with the bills. Ava touched her elbow gently, pulling out a card. “Don’t worry about it, babe. Let me treat you. I know your job doesn’t exactly pay well.”

“My job doesn’t pay at all.” Sara conceded. “But I keep a stash for special occasions.”

Ava cocked her head, eyebrows crinkling. “Please let me treat you just this once. Next time can be your turn.” Sara sighed, unable to say no to that face. She stuffed the cash into her inside pocket before slipping the zipper up.

“Okaaay.” Sara drawled playfully.

Ava signed the receipt and they slid down the counter together. Before long, two cakes and their drinks appeared on the counter. Ava giggled excitedly, seeing the pile of cream on her coffee. Sara found herself grinning in reply, raising an eyebrow playfully.

“Why, Director Sharpe! I never pegged you as an extra whipped cream kinda gal.”

Ava rolled her eyes, leading the way to a comfortable sofa near the fire with a low table in front. “It’s the one thing I let myself be bad about.” The woman chuckled. “I never really pegged you as a black coffee kinda gal.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. I like it simple.” Sara shrugged, blowing some steam away from the liquid.

Ava found herself sucking in her bottom lip at the image of Sara’s perfect lips, shivering at the thought of them kissing her. She hurriedly raised her own cup, hoping that Sara hadn’t noticed how flustered she had been. She sipped the heavenly chocolate coffee concoction, nearly sighing into the cup.

Sara watched Ava sip her coffee, strong, long-fingered hands wrapped around the cup, savoring it’s warmth. She hoped she wasn’t blushing as her mind pictured Ava holding her, caressing her. Sara trailed her eyes back to Ava’s face, breaking the spell. She couldn’t help the small gasp of laughter that bubbled out of her when she saw the mound of cream on the other woman’s nose.

“What?” Ava asked, nose crinkling.

Sara shook her head with a small grin, reaching out with her fingertip to scoop the confection. Ava’s eyes grew wide, embarrassed. Sara popped her fingertip in her mouth, eyelids fluttering slightly at the sweetness.

“I can’t remember the last time I just… ate whipped cream.” Ava was stunned at the gorgeous woman sitting in front of her, using her sleeve to wipe whatever residue remained without thinking about it. 

“Sounds like you need to learn to treat yourself a bit more.” Ava joked, fork biting into the side of the cake.

Sara grinned wickedly, eyes traveling angular form. “I think I could learn how to do that.”

Ava quickly tucked a piece of the crumbly cake into her mouth in an attempt to bite off any awkward response. Sara followed her lead, digging into the cake with fervor, sipping her coffee between hurried bites. She had practically inhaled her pastry by the time Ava was only halfway done with hers. Ava took another savory sip of her coffee, the perfectly melting whipped cream infusing deliciously.

“You’re not really the slow down and smell the roses type, are you?” Ava asked. It was Sara’s turn to color her cheeks, slightly embarrassed.

“Kind of a habit, I guess.” She half-shrugged. “I’m used to always being on the move, head on the swivel, looking for danger, eating whatever is put in front of me just in case.” Sara gulped the last bit of her coffee before settling the empty cup on top of the plate with a small clink. “But I think with you, slowing down to savor the moment would be worth it.”

Ava found herself smiling sheepishly, gently nudging her flowing hair from her face. “I’d like that, too.”


	15. These Childhood Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Fifteenth: Sleep Over  
> Ava has been feeling a bit empty since finding out she was a clone and that all of her memories weren't real. But that's what Book Club is for!  
> (Also I have never been to a sleep over myself so I'm so sorry if this is completely terrible. This writing challenge is really pressing me to write tons of experiences I've never had lol.)

“We’re grown women.” Ava protested half-heartedly.

“Yes, but you’ve never been to a sleepover!” Mona protested. Nora nodded conspiratorially.

“Come on, babe! It’ll be great!” Sara pouted, knowing Ava couldn’t say no to her when she made that face.

Ava sighed the sigh of the long suffering. “Alright.”

“Yes!” Mona jumped into the air, clapping. “This is going to be ama-zing!” The small woman scampered around the parlor, tucking away papers and books. “I brought snacks! Rice Krispy Treats, brownies, potato chips…”

 _What?_ Ava mouthed at Sara, who only shrugged. “When did you get all this stuff?”

“I always bring snacks to sleepovers!” Mona replied, giant grin lighting up her face. “I also brought the book club classic, Rose.” She produced a large bottle of wine, which Nora reached for eagerly.

“Isn’t the point of a sleepover to… sleep over?” Ava asked, puzzled.

“The point of a sleepover is to hang out with your friends and play games and tell gossip and talk about boys!” Ava and Sara both raised a questioning eyebrow and Mona quickly amended, “Or girls!”

Nora took a long drought of wine. “Are we really going to sleep on the floor in the parlor?”

“We’ll get sleeping bags and blankets and pillows and it’ll be like a best-friend camp out.”

Nora nodded, waiting until Mona turned her back to finish the first glass of wine.

“I’ll go get some stuff!” Mona replied cheerfully, rushing off the bridge with a particular spring in her step.

“Babe.” Ava turned to Sara. “What have you done?”

“I have no idea.” Sara admitted, joking. She lazily reached out to grab Ava’s hand in hers. “But it’s going to be great.” The shorter woman pushed onto her toes to meet her girlfriend in a brief kiss.

Mona bumbled back in, her short stature nearly completely eclipsed with bed clothes. “I figured you and Ava could share, Sara.” Mona gasped breathlessly.

The women arranged sleeping bags on the parlor floor before sitting cross-legged in a ragged circle. Sara and Ava sat with their knees touching, one of Ava’s hands held tightly in her girlfriend’s lap. The group of women fell casually into their normal lines of conversation, telling funny stories and complaining about their problems.

As the evening wore on, wine and snacks dwindled. Ava found Sara crowding in closer and closer. Ava had one arm wrapped tightly around Sara’s narrow shoulders while the other held both of Sara's hands, the woman’s head resting in the crook of her neck, one of Ava’s legs securely fastened between the two of Sara’s.

Tipsy Nora was in the heat of ranting about her father’s Mollus expectations when Nate literally stumbled into the conversation, tripping over a hastily thrown pillow.

“What…” Ray was close behind his friend.

“Nate! We’re having sleepover!” Mona chirped happily.

“In the parlor?”

“YES! Now get out!” Nora grumbled darkly.

“Ooh! I love sleepovers! Can I join?” Ray was grinning ear to ear.

“No! I’m invoking book club. Now leave.” Ray’s face fell.

“Are we supposed to know what that means?” Nate asked good-naturedly.

“Book club is our thing!” Mona chirped proudly. “It’s where we all pretend to read a book but then use it as an excuse to talk about all of our problems!”

“Ah.” Nate clasped Ray’s shoulder gently, steering him away. “Sorry to intrude.”

“Wait, what did you guys need.” Sara piped up, shifting and making Ava jump. She had thought her girlfriend had fallen asleep.

“Nothing important.” Nate grinned. “Have a good sleepover, ladies.”

“Oh, we will! Don’t you worry!” Mona beamed.

“Yup.” Sara pecked Ava lightly on the lips before settling her head back down comfortably, falling asleep into the side of her girlfriend blissfully.


	16. My Life Is A Roller-coaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Sixteenth: Amusement Park  
> Ever since Nyssa disbanded the League, losing the only home she's ever known, Laurel has taken the woman under her wing, showing her the ropes of 'normal life'. Today, it's time for a little fun!  
> (I fully expect this to be my least popular chapter because this pairing isn't very popular but I keep thinking about them and the Milkshake Scene)  
> (This also accidentally became one of my favorite chapters of this entire challenge lol.)

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.” Felicity chattered, glancing at Laurel anxiously.

“What? Some girls can’t go out and have some fun?”

“She will literally kill you.” Felicity grabbed Laurel’s arm. The woman rolled her eyes.

“She’s not that bad, Felicity. She’s actually really sweet and cute and—”

“Oh my god, you’re in love with Nyssa al-Ghul.”

“What? No I'm not. She’s my friend, Felicity. I swear, you and Oliver treat her like an animal! I treat her like a friend and so we’re friends. She’s friendly.”

Felicity’s eyebrows shot into her hairline.

“Don’t look at me like that. Nyssa disbanded the League of Assassins; all she’s ever known her whole life. She needs a friend to help her adjust to regular life, to figure some things out.”

“Okay, yes, but an amusement park and a milkshake are two _very_ different experiences.”

“Who’s going to an amusement park?” Diggle asked, striding into the layer at Oliver’s side.

“Laurel and Nyssa.” Felicity blurted. Oliver turned a surprised look on Laurel.

“Don’t say it!” Laurel sighed, pushing herself up from the table she had been leaning against. “I need to get going anyway. I don’t want to be late.”

“Wait, are you and Nyssa…” Diggle asked, bewildered.

“No! Why does everyone think that!”

“You and Nyssa have been spending a lot of time together, lately.” Oliver pointed out.

“Yeah. Because she doesn’t exactly have a lot of other friends.”

“Just… be careful.”

“Really, Ollie? You really think Nyssa is _that_ bad?”

“She poisoned you, Laurel.” Oliver pointed out. “And she kidnapped your mother.”

“Out of a sense of duty to her father and the League.”

“We just worry about you, Laurel. Nyssa’s just a bit…” Felicity bit her lip, searching for the right word.

“Intense. I know.” Laurel supplied.

“I was going to say ‘crazy’, but I guess intense works too.”

“Whatever her flaws.” Laurel interjected, aiming to finish the argument and head out, “She was really in love with Sara. Nyssa has this great capacity for love and friendship and you guys don’t see it. But Sara saw it. And I see it. Nyssa is my friend. No matter what you guys say.”

҉

“Hey, Nyssa.” Laurel approached the woman, who looked on the edge of panic.

“Hello, Laurel.” Laurel took the moment to appreciate Nyssa in her leather jacket and tight jeans. “I am glad you arrived. I was concerned I was in the wrong location.”

“Why?” Laurel asked, gesturing for Nyssa to follow her to the back of the queue.

“This place… it is very strange. What did you call it?”

“It’s an amusement park.”

“What is it’s purpose?”

“To amuse us!” Laurel grinned, giggling. “No, but really. It’s just a place to have fun, ride roller-coasters, play games, eat greasy food.”

Nyssa inclined her head slightly, showing that she understood despite the slightly confused look still on her face. “And you must purchase a ‘ticket’ to gain admission?”

“Yes.” Laurel handed the money to the cashier with a polite smile. “Two Adults, please.”

“Adults?” Nyssa asked, brow furrowed.

“Yeah, there are different price brackets. There are different prices for adults, for students, for seniors, stuff like that.”

“This seems very complicated. Many things in your country are complicated.” Laurel grabbed Nyssa’s hand and gently led her to the side, out of the stream of human traffic.

“You’ll get used to it.” Laurel reassured her. “This is a bracelet that shows that you’ve already paid, so you belong.” Nyssa held out her arm and let Laurel attach the neon yellow plastic around her left wrist before expertly fastening her own, one-handed.

As the pair stepped into the gates, Nyssa felt assaulted by all the sights, sounds, and smells. She looked around, baffled, unconsciously trailing off. She felt someone grab her forearm and turned toward the attacker with a snarl before recognizing Laurel’s kind face.

“My apologies, Laurel. There is so much here…”

“It’s okay, I know. But I got you, okay?” Laurel laced her fingers through the other woman’s, squeezing reassuringly. Nyssa’s lips quirked into a small smile and she nodded.

҉

Nyssa began to slowly relax as the day drew on, really seeming to have fun.

Laurel didn’t have the heart to tell Nyssa all the games were rigged when the woman expressed interest, so she just silently let Nyssa pick one to play. Apparently, however, Nyssa’s incredible accuracy and practice with knife throwing allowed her to actually win the Balloon Pop game. She handed Laurel the plush bear prize triumphantly.

Nyssa’s face crumpled in adorable disgust when Laurel offered her a fork-full of funnel cake. “That is truly horrid, Laurel.”

The women fell into each other’s arms, giggling, while standing in the splash zone of a water coaster, getting buffeted by small waves over and over again.

The pure and euphoric grin that radiated off of Nyssa’s face as they rode roller-coaster after roller-coaster was enough to make the whole trip worth it, Laurel decided.

“You like ice cream, right?” Nyssa nodded. “Good. I need to make up for that funnel cake.” Laurel laughed as Nyssa wrinkled her nose, remembering the fried abomination from earlier.

Laurel ordered each of them a small cone, which was still far too big in Nyssa’s humble opinion. They trailed over to a picnic bench and Nyssa slid in. She cringed in disgust and Laurel looked at her questioningly. “This table is… sticky.”

Laurel snickered, sliding into the bench opposite her. “Yeah, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that isn’t.” Nyssa shrugged, resting her arm on the table. They focused on their rapidly melting ice cream cones, licking away in comfortable silence.

“I think I like you.” Nyssa broke that silence.

“I like you too.” Laurel replied nonchalantly.

“No.” Nyssa’s voice was sharp, forcing Laurel to break off and look into her eyes. “I think I am experiencing romantic feelings for you.”

“Oh.”

“But you are my close friend and I know this is unacceptable to you, so I wished to alert you—” Nyssa’s voice trailed off when Laurel rested her hand’s on top of Nyssa’s. The assassin flinched.

“I have feelings for you, too.” Laurel admitted. She couldn’t deny it, couldn’t deny how much fun she’d had that day and how amazing spending time with Nyssa was.

Nyssa felt her brow furrow. “I did not believe that you shared your sister’s inclination towards women.”

“I don’t. Or, at least, I didn’t, I guess. Or not as much. I don’t even know.” Laurel stumbled nervously over her words, desperately not wanting to upset Nyssa. “But I feel… something when I’m with you. Something deep and important. I don’t understand how I feel but I know that I feel for you.”

“You truly feel this way?” Laurel squeezed Nyssa’s hand lightly, smiling warmly. Nyssa broke eye contact shyly. Laurel pressed her stomach into the table, leaning as far forward as she could to try to lessen the distance separating them. She tenderly pressed a loose strand of hair behind Nyssa’s ear.

The assassin looked into Laurel’s eyes, her own slightly moist with emotion. She caught Laurel’s hand and gently pressed the knuckles to her lips before letting the touch flutter away. Laurel grinned and stood from the picnic table, holding out a hand to Nyssa.

Nyssa smiled back and took the proffered hand, standing. They laced their fingers together tightly and Laurel planted a quick kiss on Nyssa’s cheek, before the other woman could do anything.

“I’ve had an incredible day, Laurel.”

Laurel gently pressed into Nyssa’s side as they exited the park, the sun beginning to set behind them. “Me too, Nyssa. Me too.”


	17. Friends To Carry You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June 17th: Parade  
> Sara has only just come out to Oliver and her Father. It's her first Pride Month since realizing she's bi and she finds herself feeling anxious, praying nobody on Team Arrow-- or, god forbid, her father-- brings it up. Sin and a new friend convince Sara to come along to Star City's parade.  
> (I know this is a stretch on this prompt considering a Parade is never actually featured but I scrapped drafts and entire ideas like 10 times and could not find a good story about pride. Probably because I have never been to a pride parade and have no idea what happens there. If you've been following my notes, you know I'm the most boring person so this shouldn't really come as a surprise. I spent so long on this and this was the best I could come up with and I just need to get this prompt out of my face I'm so sorry.)  
> (Slight deviation from Cannon: After Nyssa frees Sara but Sara and Oliver don't hook up, they just remain friends.)

“Oh, hey Sara.” Felicity walked down the stairs into the lair to the sound of the rapid smacks of the training dummy.

“Oh, hey. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you needed the space…” Sara trailed off as she buried her face in a towel, wiping off the sweat.

“No, I don’t need the space, you can keep going. I just need to grab a flash drive with some data on it. And it’s not _my_ space or Oliver’s space, its _our_ space. You can be down here whenever you want. Because it’s your space, too. Besides, even if I were staying, which I’m not, I wouldn’t mind. I like watching you train.” Felicity's eyes bulged for a moment, realizing what just came out of her mouth. “I didn’t mean… I meant that the company’s nice and it gets kind of quiet and it can get weird being down here all alone.”

Sara nodded with a grin so small it was nearly imperceptible. She leaned against the training dummy and stared at the ground.

“Is… everything okay?” Felicity asked sheepishly. Sara’s eyes snapped back up.

“Yes, everything’s fine. Why?”

“Oh, no reason. It’s just Oliver texted me this morning asking if I had seen you because you left crazy early this morning and weren’t responding to his texts. And that Diggle hadn’t seen or heard from you either. And I said no because I hadn’t but I was dropping by here so I’d let him know…” Felicity trailed off, gauging the woman’s face for any semblance of a reaction.

“I didn’t even notice my phone go off.” Sara replied instead, crossing the mat to the table where she had tossed her phone. “I’ll just text Ollie and tell him not to worry.”

“Should he be?”

“Should he be what?”

“Worried.”

“What? No. I’m fine.”

“Fine people don’t sneak out of their best friends house at 4 am to apparently come down here and train hard enough to not notice several texts and phone calls.” Felicity pointed out. “And you weren’t going to text Oliver, were you. You were just saying that so I wouldn’t.”

Sara sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “Okay, you got me.”

“Are you… hiding from Oliver?” Felicity plowed on before Sara could respond. “Listen, I know he can be aggravating but that’s just because he cares a lot.”

“What makes you think I’m hiding from Oliver in particular?” Sara asked evenly.

“I mean, it was his house you snuck out of. And you left super early, before morning, so you wouldn’t have to face him. And you’re ignoring him.” Felicity paused. “Wait, you said ‘in particular’. So you’re hiding from someone else?”

“I’m not hiding. I just decided to get some early morning training in.”

“Get a head start on the training that you do all day?”

Sara sighed but didn’t get the chance to respond before Felicity’s phone started ringing. “Oh, hey _Oliver._ ”

Sara’s eyes narrowed in a scowl. “Oh, yeah, she’s here. Want to talk to her? Okay, here!” Felicity grinned, phone extended.

Sara stifled a sigh and put the phone up to her ear hesitantly. “Sara?”

“Hey, Ollie.” Sara made an effort to brighten up her voice.

“Where are you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m just training in the Lair.”

“At four am? Sara…”

“I’m okay, Ollie.”

“That’s the fifth day in a row you've disappeared in the early morning. Is there something you want to talk about?”

“What?” Sara’s eyes shot open. “No, of course not. Why would you say that?”

“You seem like you’ve been trying to avoid us for the last week. You go out on your own patrol. You haven’t joined me and Diggle for the usual afternoon training. You only stay around us long enough to get business done. And this morning you’re not even answering your phone. I’m worried about you, Sara.”

“You don’t have to be, Oliver. I can take care of myself.”

“I know, but that’s not the point. I’m worried because you’re my friend and I care about you.”

Sara felt herself soften. “I know. And I appreciate it. You, or anyone, didn’t do anything, I swear. You know me and my moods. I’m okay, Ollie, I promise.”

She heard Oliver sigh over the line. When he spoke again, his voice was soft. “Any chance I can convince you to talk about it?”

Sara pursed her lips again, swallowing nervously. “None.”

“I figured.” She heard someone in the background trying to get Oliver’s attention. He spoke briefly, hand over the receiver. She heard him return to the phone before remaining silent for another few moments. When Sara didn’t say anything, he heaved another heavy sigh. “Okay, just please take care of yourself. And if you need anything, we’re here.”

Sara handed the phone back to Felicity, who began to chat with Oliver about some business. “Yeah, I’ve got the drive, which should help with narrowing down the suspects. I’ll run the program today and we should have the data for tonight….”

Sara used Felicity’s idle babbling as a cover to swipe her shirt and jacket back on, lacing her boots quickly, one ear to the conversation. She was trying to leave before Felicity finished the conversation and could round on her again. At that moment, Sara felt duly grateful for her assassin skills.

҉

“Yeah, Sara just did the thing.” Felicity suddenly interrupted their discussion about the drug peddler they were planning to catch.

“What thing?”

“The thing where she just disappears.”

“I don’t know what to think, Felicity. She said nothing was bothering her—”

“And you believe that?” Felicity blurted.

“No, if you would let me finish my sentence.” Felicity quietly ghosted a _sorry_. “There’s something going on. I’m going to tail her.”

“In… in the middle of the day?”

“Yeah, I said I was, not the Arrow.”

“She was an assassin, Oliver. I’m pretty sure she’ll notice you.”

“I’ll be careful.” Oliver promised lightly. “In the meantime, you get working on that algorithm.”

҉

Felicity had been right—Sara did not make it easy to tail her. She twisted and dove down seemingly random alleys, tilting her head and actively listening, stopping suddenly to try to track footsteps. Oliver couldn’t tell if that was because she knew he was behind her or if she was suspicious that he might be. Her route made no sense, but he figured that she was at least ensuring that Felicity couldn't have followed: the twisty route would definitely have thrown the IT woman.

Oliver paused and shrunk besides a dumpster with a sharp intake of breath when Sara suddenly stopped at a street corner. A young woman in a leather jacket raced across the street with a huge grin on her face, ambushing Sara in a giant bear hug. Oliver blinked in surprise when Sara barely flinched and didn’t try to push her away. If Oliver or anyone else he knew did that, they’d be on the ground.

The woman looked strangely familiar… “Sin?” Oliver muttered to himself, confused. He leaned in as far as he could without exposing himself, trying to hear the conversation, but he could only make out one side; Sara’s voice was so subdued. This was a new softness that Oliver had found himself struggling to adjust to: she was quiet, moved like a ghost, and rarely smiled or laughed. The vibrant young woman he had known had returned so subdued. It was hard to get used to.

҉

“What, no face paint or glitter?” Sin joked. When Sara looked over her shoulder Sin frowned, raising her eyebrow. “Ok, Sara, what’s up?”

“What?” The woman turned her attention back. “Nothing.”

“You keep looking over your shoulder.”

“It’s nothing. It’s just… what if Oliver or someone followed me?”

“Yeah, what if?” Sin shrugged, not understanding. “Who cares?”

“I care.” Sara shot back.

“You shouldn’t. Who said they’re not going to be there anyway? We could run into them completely by accident because it’s a public event and they are members of the public.” Sin sighed, grabbing her shoulders. “I know that big events like this… crowds like this… aren’t really your thing. But you’re back home and you’re safe. You should embrace that a little and let yourself loose to have a bit of fun every now and then.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the big sister.” Sara joked anxiously.

“You are. The younger sisters are always the ones pushing the stiff, un-fun, older ones into being a little more adventurous.”

Sara chuckled lightly, thinking of her and Laurel. “I just don’t know about this, Sin.”

“Thea told me you used to be quite the partier.”

“Yeah.” Sadness crossed her face for a moment. “That was before.”

Sin nodded and picked up the cue to stand quietly for a moment. “Are you going to kiss Bec today?” She asked mischievously a moment later.

“What? No!”

“Don’t look so offended, Sara! She has a huge crush on you, and I can tell that you like her back.”

“I’m not exactly relationship material for someone like Bec.” Sara protested with a sigh. “I’m not even relationship material at all.”

“Sara!” An exited voice echoed down the mostly abandoned block.

“I don’t know, Sara…” Sin trailed off, grinning, as the tall woman approached. She locked Sara into a tight hug, which Sara did flinch from, but only slightly more than Sin.

“Sin told me you probably weren’t even going to show up and if you did it would be under-dressed so….” The newcomer pulled a temporary tattoo out of her flannel’s breast pocket. “Give me your face.”

She was pulling and touching and pouring water onto a lesbian pride bandana before Sara could even say anything, catching her chin in a surprisingly strong grip and slapping the paper against her left cheek. Nyssa had been gentler with a needle and threat on her torn back than this woman with a bandana and some ink on paper.

“You’re acting like my cat when I try to brush her teeth.” Bec snickered, vivid rainbow-colored strips of temporary hair extensions gleaming through her soft brown locks. She peeled the paper away slowly. “There! Bi Pride!”

҉

Realization hit Oliver like a punch to the gut. It was June, which was Queer Pride Month. Sara had been acting weird for the last five days—since the first. She was running out and sneaking away from the team today to celebrate. That fact alone made the sadness feel crushing: there were parts of Sara that she kept hidden out of fear that he would hate her for them.

It broke his heart, seeing her so anxious and resistant to even this shred of happiness. The fact that she had felt like she couldn’t tell Oliver she was bi when she got back made him sad, too. He cared about her either way and he was sure he always would. But Sara didn’t feel that from him. Sara felt that she had to lie, to hide from him. And it crushed him.

Sin and the newcomer introduced an unexpected warmth into that sadness—Sara had found kind, patient friends that coaxed her gently along even when she was afraid. Sara deserved friends like that. Oliver was kind of sad that he couldn’t be that friend for her, but he was just happy that there was somebody.

Oliver felt confident that Sara was going to be okay. Sara would find her happiness again.

҉

Air hissed through Sara’s teeth. “Keep it down!”

“What? Why?”

“She’s worried one of her friends followed her.” Sin replied, rolling her eyes.

“Wait, you have other friends I’ve never met?” Bec feigned offense before her eyes widened. “You’re not out to your friends yet. That’s why we’re meeting in an alley.”

“This isn’t an alley; this is a side street. That—” Sara pointed behind her with her thumb, nearly startling the lurking Oliver out of his skin, “—is an alley.”

“But you’re not out yet.”

“I’m out, I just didn’t want them to know what I was doing.”

“They’re not cool with you?”

“It’s not that, its…” Sara broke off with a distressed sigh. “It’s complicated, Bec. I just don’t want them to know that I’m here. Maybe I don’t want to be here.”

“Come on, Sara.” Bec smiled so kindly it made Sara’s heart ache, holding out her hand. Sara took it hesitantly. “You’re going to have so much fun, I know it. It’s just new, so it seems scary. Everyone’s nervous about their first Pride, but you’ll fit right in and have a blast!”

Bec’s energy was so infectious Sara found her own lips tweaking into a slight grin. “Plus, Sin and I’ll be right there with you the whole time. Okay?”

Sara nodded, grateful. “Okay.”

Bec cheered, jerking Sara’s arm but refusing to unlace their fingers. “Yes! Pride!” 


	18. Dancing the Night Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Eighteenth: Dance  
> It's the night of the annual Time Bureau Philanthropy Dance, and the pressure's on for Ava to impress Hank and secure more funds from eccentric billionaires. However, Ava realizes she's never had a girlfriend at this time of year and that she's unintentionally closeted herself at work. Will Sara help her leave behind her shell?  
> (casually featuring Gender Queer Sara because I couldn't stop myself yikes.)

“Hey Nate.”

“Oh, hey Director Sharpe!” Nate turned and grinned. “Wow, you look amazing!”

“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” Ava replied, nervously pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “And you know that it’s just Ava now, especially after work hours.”

Nate nodded. “Got it.” Ava glanced anxiously over her shoulder and tugged at the waist-hem of her midnight blue dress. “Everything okay, _Ava_?”

Ava’s head snapped back around, eyes wide with panic. “No. I mean, no, nothings wrong. Yes, everything’s fine.” Nate raised an eyebrow. “Have any of the Legends told you if they’re coming?”

Nate shook his head, lips pursed. “Nope. It’s been radio silence, which I assume means they aren’t coming. Which is weird because you know how much Sara likes a good party sneak. Although it wouldn’t be a sneak, but I assume she likes regular parties, too.”

Ava nodded firmly, gathering herself. “Yes, well, they’re probably out busy on a mission then.” She ran her palms down her thighs even though they were dry.

“Yeah, kinda sucks. I know Hank’s been wanting to meet them—ah. That’s why you’re nervous. Hank doesn’t know you’re dating Sara.” Nate turned to Ava, eyes wide with realization.

Ava sighed, shoulders slumping. Nate could be weirdly astute sometimes. “I mean, yeah. Which is hugely unprofessional of me and could get both Sara and I in a lot of trouble, considering she’s the captain of our only active Time Ship and is taking the lead on… everything. Which could be very suspicious since I have been advocating so firmly for their continued funding.”

“And—” Nate probed.

Ava squeezed her eyes shut and let the words just tumble from her mouth. “Nobody at the Bureau knows that I’m a lesbian.”

“Woah. Wait, really?”

Ava nodded miserably. “Besides Gary.”

“Wait, Gary?” Nate blurted, unbelieving.

“Yeah. I took Gary as backup when I went to go see Constantine to find you guys when Sara was under the influence of the Death Totem.”

“I don’t know what’s more difficult to believe: that you took Gary as backup into a potentially deadly situation or that you trusted him with information you didn’t want everyone else to know about immediately.”

“Yeah, Gary probably wasn’t the best choice, but he was there and—”

“Hello, Director Sharpe!” Ava groaned. _Speak of the Devil and He will come…_

“Hello, Gary. Is everything all set for the evening?”

“Yes! The string players will be here in ten minutes and then everything else is a go!”

“Thank you, Gary.” Ava paused before placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “You did a good job. With all of this.”

Gary beamed. “Thank you so much Director Sharpe! That… really means a lot to me.” Gary sniffled and Ava cringed back, releasing the man to scurry off and do… whatever Gary does.

“You’re worried about the Legends showing up to this dance thing and Sara accidentally outing you to the Bureau and Hank.”

“Sara isn’t exactly… subtle.” Nate nodded sympathetically.

“So just text her and tell her not to come, or if she does come it can’t be as your girlfriend.” Nate shrugged.

“That makes it sound like I’m ashamed that she’s my girlfriend.” Ava sighed. “And I’m not. I don’t want her to think that. I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“How come you haven’t told anyone else at the Bureau? About being gay.”

Ava shrugged helplessly. “I honestly don’t even know. I guess it just never came up. I don’t usually fraternize with coworkers, so my romantic partners haven’t popped up.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think anybody will really care.” Nate replied a moment later. Nate placed one big hand reassuringly on Ava’s shoulder. “I think your agents here will be like the Legends: they just want to see you happy.”

Ava nodded, eyes moistening. She placed her own hand over Nate’s for just a moment. “Thank you.” She whispered as Nate trailed away. Nate smiled kindly and nodded.

҉

Some time during their conversation, Ava noticed, the string players had begun to play in full swing and tons of people in fancy clothes were dancing and mingling.

“Hey, babe.” A smooth voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Oh, hey Sara.” Ava turned around nervously. “Not a dress night?” She asked casually, admiring her red jumpsuit and matching lipstick. Something about Sara in red really did it for Ava.

“Nah.” Sara shook her head. “Is that okay? I mean…”

“It’s perfect, babe. You look great in pretty much everything.” Ava replied, hoping she sounded reassuring. “You’re usually so blasé about it. Are _you_ okay?”

Sara nodded and chuckled. “Your face looked… not happy. I guess I’m just a bit paranoid about this.”

“You know I love you always. I swear that face wasn’t for you. I’ve just got a lot of work stuff on my mind.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Sara asked, sidling up to Ava casually but maintaining a respectful work environment distance.

Ava shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” She took a moment to just look at Sara, anxiety building up in her gut. _I can’t do this to her_ Ava thought before reaching down to gently tilt Sara’s face to hers and planting a short yet incredibly tender kiss on her lips.

“Woah, Aves, we’re at work.” Sara’s eyes grew wide after Ava pulled away.

“Yeah but I’ve decided that I love you and I don’t care what anyone thinks.” Ava smiled anxiously, praying she hadn’t crossed a line with Sara. She held out her hand. “Will you dance with me?”

Sara smiled and relief swept over Ava. Sara had an incredible grin, but it was nothing compared to Sara’s smile, which radiated such joy and beauty. Ava adored that smile and realized then that she would do nearly anything to keep seeing it. Sara reached up and took Ava’s hand and the couple gently walked to the dance floor.

Fear welled in Ava’s gut. They would soon be the center of attention and there was no going back. She loved Sara so, so much but she couldn’t help but feel worried about what would happen after this.

As they danced, Ava felt her anxiousness melt away. She felt so safe in Sara’s arms, swaying gently back and forth. The rest of the world melted away and it was just Sara’s warmth beneath her hands and wrapped around her neck.

Ava tenderly kissed Sara’s forehead before gently resting her cheek against the shorter woman’s head. She felt Sara’s smile against her neck and the soft lips of a lazy kiss against her pulse.

“I love you, Ava.” Sara whispered, so adoringly she thought her heart was going to burst right there.

“I love you, Sara.”


	19. I'll Stand By You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Nineteenth: Mutual Support  
> An off-hand comment by Charlie makes Zari begin to consider her identity. Sara, who knows what it feels like to be thrown into a new life, is always there for her.  
> (This is a bit rambling but as I was writing I feel in love with the Time Mom Sara and I just kept writing and writing lol)  
> (Also, that scene where Sara and Ava were talking in the bathroom and Zari walks by and makes that face is never explained or brought up ever again and that scene is constantly bouncing around my brain so I went with that idea and stretched that part of the prompt to make it fit the mutual part of mutual support)

“What’s up Zari?”

“Hmm?” Zari looked up from her tea. “Oh, nothing. Just thinking. What’s up with you?”

Sara pursed her lips and half-shrugged, sitting down with her own mug. “Wanna talk about it?”

She shrugged but nodded at the chair next to her, inviting Sara to sit. She did, turning the chair to face Zari slightly, just enough to appear receptive. They sat in a fairly comfortable silence for a few minutes before Zari sighed.

“I’m just… thinking about myself.”

“That’s always dangerous.” Sara joked, relieved when Zari cracked a small smile.

“Yeah.” She agreed. “It’s just—never mind. It’s stupid.”

Zari stood and made to move away. “Hey.” Zari paused and looked down at Sara. “Whatever you’re thinking about, whatever you’re feeling, I promise it’s not stupid. Listen, you don’t have to tell me anything and I won’t press. But I am here.” Zari’s face softened as she considered.

“It’s just… Charlie.” Zari sat back down tentatively. “I think they like me.”

When Zari didn’t continue, Sara gently pressed the conversation on. “Charlie was a bit rough at first but they’re really friendly and fun to be around.”

Zari shook her head. “They asked me if I was straight.”

“And?” Sara pressed kindly.

“It made me realize… that I don’t know. That I’ve never really thought about it. That’s never even been a concept to me because I’ve never really dated for myself. It’s always been for the media, you know? And I never even considered anything outside of that until I came on board the ship. And when Charlie asked me it kind of made me panic a little.” Zari shook her head. “I don’t know, I just got this feeling of _Oh my god I don’t know_ and _Does it even matter anymore_.”

“Of course it matters, Zari. If it’s something that bothers you, it matters, bottom line.”

“I’ve just been Dragon Girl since I was nine. And since I’ve come on this ship… it made me realize that I’m not really a person, I don’t really know my own identity. I’ve been living my persona. I’ve been so wrapped up in what parts of me would make others happy that I have no idea what parts of me make _me_ happy.” Zari stopped, swirling the tea in her cup slowly.

“Well… do you think Charlie makes you happy? Do you like them?”

“I… guess? I’ve honestly never really thought about it. But they obviously like me.”

The women sat in silence for a while. “You and Ava?” Zari eventually asked.

Sara nodded. “Yeah?”

“Nothing. I mean, I heard you and Ava talking in the bathroom the other day. It didn’t occur to me before that you were together.”

“Oh. I figured it was obvious. Or at the very least one of the boys would say something about it.”

Zari shrugged.

“I… can be…. Self-centered.” Zari admitted slowly. “And I don’t usually look at other people too hard. But now… I can see how happy Ava makes you. You two look good together. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“It scared me a little at first.” Zari admitted, circling her fingers on the tabletop. “And I know that’s not great.” She shrugged listlessly.

“What part of it scared you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the part of me that wasn’t ready to look too hard at herself. You guys are so happy together and I’m so alone and had this idea in my head of what everything was supposed to look like for me. And I’ve always been so centered on that self and how she looks that I never looked at the people around me.”

“Hearing us and realizing we were together was like snapping out of your own world.” Zari nodded.

“And it made me realize that it’s possible there’s more to me than this, than Dragon Girl. It also feels like I’m in my 20’s and it’s too late.”

“It’s never too late, Zari. Besides, your 20s is the very beginning of your life. Your 20s is when you start moving into the world, start seeing things in a new way. It’s only natural that you would start questioning what you know. I feel like most people do. That’s kind of what your 20s are for.” Sara shrugged before grinning and gently leaning her shoulder against Zari’s. “I was in my 20s. And I was thrown into a completely new environment all alone. I felt like everything was crumbling around me, that every thread of the fabric of who I was was being changed. It was terrifying.”

“What helped you?”

“Somebody who loved me.” Sara admitted. “Somebody who helped me explore myself. And then I came home and my father did that thing that people do when you haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

“The _remember when_ ’s?” Sara nodded with a smile.

“I realized that I hadn’t really changed. I was still Sara. I had always been this person. I had just...forgotten. Or maybe I ignored her. I would have realized that I was queer sooner if I hadn’t fallen into the lifestyle I had. A new environment simply pushed me out of my shell, allowed me to explore myself without the pressure of people who thought they knew me. I was so stuck in this one version of myself and I didn’t realize how unhappy I was until everything changed.”

Zari pursed her lips, deep in thought. “That sounds... a lot like me. Capitalizing on this one part of myself without even thinking about it because it was the easiest part for others to see.”

“I had just been myself. And then people around me zeroed in on one thing about me and I just went with it, figuring that’s how it went. It didn’t occur to me in late high school or college that I could… pick. I could choose to be happy and embrace myself. I didn't have to do what my peers expected or wanted. But I felt stuck so I just went with it.”

“How _did_ you figure out you were bisexual?” Zari asked. Sara chuckled.

“Looking back, it seems obvious, particularly from stories of me when was younger. But my mentor, a woman named Nyssa, pointed it out. She asked me if I had romantic feelings for her and when I asked her what she meant, she said _You stare at me often and you think I don’t notice._ ” Sara gave her best Nyssa impression and Zari couldn’t help but crack a smile at that.

“And then what?”

Sara shrugged light-heartedly, taking a shallow sip of coffee. “She became my first girlfriend.” Zari’s eyes widened and Sara rushed on. “Just because Charlie make you question your sexuality doesn’t mean that they’ll become you partner! My situation was… complicated.” Sara placed a hand on Zari’s shoulder. “Very, very complicated. You can just talk to Charlie. They’re super cool and sweet.”

Zari nodded gratefully. “I think I will. Talk to them, I mean. Because you’re right, Charlie has a good heart and I know they’re there for me if I ask them to be.” Sara nodded sagely and Zari stood.

“It’s getting late and I promised a brother-sister evening to Behrad, so I should probably go before he gets pissed.”

“Hey. If you ever want to talk, I’m here.” Sara offered. “I’m always here for you, Zari.”

Zari smiled. “Thanks, Captain.”


	20. I've Got Another Confession To Make [I'm Your Fool]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twentieth: Confession  
> Felicity has a massive crush on Team Arrow's new bird, Sara, the Black Canary.  
> (Does this count as a confession? I hope so. Casual cannon divergence where pretty much everything is the same except Sara and Oliver don't hook up.)

“Felicity. Just tell her.”

“I don’t know Diggle. That would complicate _everything_.”

“Would it.” He raised his eyebrow.

“Don’t give me that look.” Felicity warned before groaning and resting her head in her hands. “It would! She just came back and just got out of the League. She probably needs time to settle back down into life here. Plus Sara’s a brand-new member of this team! And she and Oliver are basically a thing plus she’s… you know.”

“Gorgeous and badass?” Diggle suggested helpfully.

“I’m just an IT girl in a bright skirt and glasses.”

“She thinks you’re cute.”

“She’s said something to you?” Felicity squeaked, slightly mortified. Diggle smiled and chuckled.

“No, but its pretty obvious. She’s been flirting with you. Pretty openly, too.” He raised an eyebrow at Felicity’s disbelieving look. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed? Felicity!”

“What? A woman like Sara would never flirt with me.”

Diggle placed a reassuring hand on Felicity’s shoulder. “You sell yourself short, Felicity. You’re incredible and anyone would be lucky to have you. And Sara _is_ into you. And you’re into Sara. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“She could say no and then this brand new, perfect team would be messed up. Maybe she’s already dating Oliver and me asking her out would offend her. Or maybe it would offend Oliver! Or maybe Oliver _wants_ to date her and if I ask her first and she says yes then Oliver will be upset with me. She and Oliver could be casually sleeping together and didn’t want to tell us because they didn’t want to make it awkward and me telling Sara would make it awkward. But no matter what I do or say I think telling Sara would make it awkward.” Felicity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “No matter what I do, it will be awkward.”

Diggle sat on the edge of the desk, forcing Felicity to make eye contact. “Or you tell her and she smiles and asks you out on a date and you two are happy together.” Felicity stared at Diggle with such an anxious look on her face that it tugged at his heartstrings. “You’re thinking about ridiculous scenarios and not considering that not telling her how you feel might make it more awkward. For you.”

Felicity nodded determinedly. “You’re right. I can’t let this keep bothering me. I need to say something and just get it over with.”

҉

“Hey, Sara.”

“Hey.” Sara shot a friendly smile over her shoulder and continued her routine on the training dummy.

“I… have a confession to make.” Sara turned from her training and raised an eyebrow, swiping a towel across her face and down her neck. Felicity hoped Sara didn’t notice her eyes flicker down to the sweat-slicked abs.

“Sara… I like you.”

Sara grinned. “You’re so cute.”

Felicity did a double take. “No. I mean, I appreciate it. And that’s what I’m saying. That I like… I guess… it’s like a crush. I have a crush on you. God, that makes me sound like I’m 15 or something.”

Sara’s smile deepened. _God, those dimples…_ Felicity felt her throat clench.

“I know, Felicity.” Felicity’s eyes widened. “I see the way you look at me.”

“ _Oh my god_.” Felicity choked out.

Sara chuckled. “It’s okay. I find it flattering, especially coming from you.”

“You find _me_ liking you flattering? Oliver liking you is flattering, he’s practically a Greek God. I’m just—”

“Felicity.” Sara leaned against the table, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling… shyly? Felicity blinked in surprise. “The fact that such a wonderful woman like you even talks to me is… unbelievable. You’re incredible, Felicity. And the fact that _you_ have a crush on me is a pretty big compliment.”

Felicity blushed deeply. “Does that mean… was Diggle right?”

Sara looked up, startled. “Diggle?”

“He said that… that you might like me back. Not that you would. He said that you’ve been flirting with me and that it was obvious, but I don’t really think you have been.”

It was Sara’s turn to blush, her freckled cheeks pinkening just enough for Felicity to notice. “I have been.” She admitted.

Felicity felt like she was seeing a new side of Sara, the side that was a little vulnerable, a little shy. She was awed that it was her that was making Sara act like this.

“If you’ve been flirting with me and you’ve noticed me… staring… why haven’t you said anything?”

Sara shrugged. “I thought you were Oliver’s.” Felicity thought she detected a hint of sadness in her voice.

“I—I thought _you_ were Oliver’s!”

“Well, since we’ve established that neither of us _belong_ to Oliver…” Sara trailed off. “What do you say?”

“Are you… asking me out on a date?”

“Maybe.” Sara grinned a little, teasing her dimples again.

“That would be incredible!” Felicity took a deep breath. “I mean that sounds really nice.”


	21. The Moon, The Stars, Are Nothing Without You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty First: Proposal  
> After freeing humanity from the power of the Fates, Sara realizes that she couldn't stand to lose Ava.  
> (Saw a post on Tumblr pointing out some casual ring migrations on Ava and Sara and I couldn't get it out of my head.)  
> (Casual AU where Sara doesn't get abducted by aliens at the end of season five.)

“Hey, babe?” Sara rolled over in bed. She’d decided that the day was going to be dedicated to rest and relaxation after the craziness of pulling humanity out from under the Fate’s thumbs.

“Yeah?” Ava replied gently, her focus still casually turned to the novel she was reading. When Sara didn’t respond, Ava tucked the page in and set the book aside, rolling over to face her girlfriend. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Sara raised a hand to Ava’s cheek oh so tenderly, barely touching. Ava noticed the moisture in the woman’s eyes.

Ava reached up to lay her hand over Sara’s and squeezed gently. “Hey.”

Sara smiled back and roughly dragged her thumb across her eye, angrily pushing away a tear. “Hey.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ava asked, gently pushing herself onto her elbow. “You know I’m here for you, no matter what. You can talk to me about anything.”

“I know. That’s what I’m thinking about.”

Ava didn’t respond, just staring at Sara.

“I missed your face so much. You’re so beautiful.” Sara whispered breathlessly.

They lay like that for a while, Sara’s thumb tenderly tracing Ava’s jawline. “I was so scared.” Sara finally said, sitting up and pushing her hair behind her ears, crossing her legs. Ava followed suit. “I was so scared that I was going to be blind forever. That I’d never see you again. Even though I technically saw you in my visions, but that’s so different. I was so scared that I was blind and that I was never going to see you again and that I hadn’t spent enough time just… looking at you.” Sara twisted the ring on her pinky finger anxiously.

“It’s okay to be scared sometimes, Sara.” Ava reached out to gingerly grasp Sara’s forearm, trying to reassure the woman with her touch. “I was scared, too.” Sara stopped fiddling with her ring to return the touch.

“I love you so much, Ava.” Sara swallowed past a lump in her throat. “So much it hurts sometimes. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

“You won’t, Sara.” Ava reached up to grasp Sara’s shoulders. “You won’t ever lose me, I swear.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

Ava rose her hand, pinky extended. Sara rose her hand, clenched in a fist. Ava’s eyebrows crinkled in confusion. Sara opened her fist, displaying the single, thin silver band usually stationed on Sara’s left pinky finger.

“Ava Sharpe, will you marry me?”


	22. My Whole Heart Is Yours, Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Second: Wedding  
> Sara and Ava get married!  
> (Casual AU where Sara isn't abducted by aliens.) (I went to one wedding when I was like 8 so yikes. I have no memory of it and had to Google pretty much everything.)  
> (I haven't finished Arrow so I am writing casual end of season 5/beginning 6 Team Arrow. I know about Quentin and Oliver so Quentin will be the one exception to this because I'm writing in Oliver screw it.)  
> (Quick character note: I know Team Arrow has met and worked with Sara but i don't know about Ava, so I wrote that the team hasn't met Ava.)

“Ollie!”

“Sara?” Oliver turned and met the woman in her offered hug.

“Sara!” Diggle called across the room, grin on his face. “How have you been?”

“Great, actually. That’s why I’m here. I’ve got an announcement to make!”

Rene and Dinah shot each other a questioning look as they crossed the room. Curtis set down the tools he was using to modify a T-Sphere and trailed closer as well.

Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m getting married!”

“Really?” Diggle asked, grin breaking out into a full-on smile. Sara’s own smile radiated joy as she nodded. “Agh, I’m so happy for you Sara!” He enveloped her in a hug of his own.

“Wait, you’re getting married? I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend. I barely know you.” Curtis babbled.

“That’s because I don’t.” Sara raised an eyebrow at Oliver. “I forgot you had another Felicity.”

“Yup.” Felicity grinned, striding confidently across the floor. She wrapped Sara into a warm hug. “I’m so happy to see you! And did I hear something about _marriage_ when I walked in?” Sara grinned and nodded, causing Felicity to squeak and clap.

“Ava, right?”

Oliver looked at Felicity, brow furrowed, silently questioning.

“What? Sara and I talk!”

“We don’t.” Oliver grumbled and Felicity giggled. “How long have you been with this woman?”

“Technically? I think it comes out to two years, maybe.”

“Wait, you had a girlfriend last time you were here and you didn’t tell me?”

“I’m pretty sure I mentioned it, Oliver.” Sara replied while Curtis squeaked out _girlfriend?_.

“Yeah, girlfriend. Strongly hinted at by _I don’t have a boyfriend_ paired with _I’m getting married._ Is there a problem?” Sara crossed her arms.

Curtis grinned and strode across the room in a few short steps, wrapping Sara in a bear hug. “Thank god we have another gay.”

“I’m bi but thanks.” Sara carefully extricated herself from his arms.

“Anyway… yeah, I’m also pretty sure she mentioned it. Something about _I’d love to stick around but I need to get back to Ava_.” Felicity redirected.

“I don’t remember this.” Oliver insisted.

“Ava. That’s a pretty name.” Dinah sensibly butted in. “Is she from Star City?”

“No, she’s from 2213.”

Dinah blinked, confused. “You mean, she’s from the future?”

Sara nodded. “Yeah.” She pursed her lips. “And I just realized that my life is weird enough that that is a totally normal statement and I was confused why that would confuse you.”

“Yeah, things definitely got weird around here quick.” Diggle mumbled, reflecting uncomfortably on the Dominator invasion. “When are you getting married? Like, in the future for Ava’s family or…”

Sara shrugged. “No, Ava doesn’t have a family and it’s… incredibly complicated. So we were just going to get married as soon as possible.”

“Can you get married?” Diggle asked.

Sara looked at him confused. “Yeah? Gay marriage was legalized in 2015.”

“Yeah but I meant… you never went to court like Oliver had to.” Sara crinkled her brows, seemingly more confused. “Aren’t you technically still dead?”

Sara widened her eyes. “Shit! Am I still dead?”

“I’ll check!” Felicity chimed in helpfully, hoping to wipe away the suddenly stricken look on her friend’s face.

“Now that Diggle mentions it. You weren’t really ever around when you came back. And then you actually died.” Oliver replied thoughtfully. “And when you were resurrected, you didn’t stay around long either. I really don’t think you’re legally alive.”

“Not helping!” Felicity grumbled, typing away on her computer.

“That… was a lot to take in.” Curtis mumbled. Sara, Oliver, and Diggle exchanged an _oh shit_ look.

“Hey, at least now I know you don’t walk around talking about me.” Sara chuckled.

The look on Felicity’s face when she walked back over told Sara everything she needed to know. “How am I this stupid?” Sara moaned.

“But if Ava’s from the future…” Dinah trailed off.

“It’s kind of a really long story but she has a birth certificate from this time period and has lived… here… for a while.”

“It’ll be okay, we’ll figure it out. We just need someone who will sign a--- sketchy marriage certificate.” Felicity shrugged.

“Great. So we just need to find someone who will sign a sketchy marriage license for a lesbian couple on short notice.” Sara raised her eyebrow.

“I’ll do it, Sara.” Diggle offered.

“You’re ordained?”

“Oh yeah, you didn’t know that? Diggle married me and Oliver.” Sara’s eyebrow shot up even further.

“I can’t ask you—”

“And you’re not. I’m offering.” Diggle smiled. “I would be happy to do it.”

“Thank you, Digg.”

He shrugged with a grin. “You know me Sara, I’m on the side of true love. I got Oliver married, now it’s your turn. When are you planning to get married?”

“Hopefully before time starts to completely crumble again. So, soon.”

“Its Friday night of a three-day weekend. How’s Monday?” Sara grinned.

“You’re really doing this? For me?”

“Yeah, why not?”

Felicity squeaked again. “Great! Let’s plan a wedding in two days!”

҉

“I can’t believe we actually pulled this off.” Zari grinned, hands on hips, surveying her work.

“Oh, I know right?” Felicity gushed. “Its incredible and you’ve been incredible!”

“Where are you from again?” Dinah asked.

“When.” Zari smiled back. “Los Angeles, 2042.”

Dinah shook her head, baffled.

“Have weddings changed much?” Curtis asked conversationally.

“I’m not sure. I’m Muslim so I don’t really know much about non-Muslim weddings.” Zari beamed. “But this doesn’t seem to shabby.”

“Yeah, pretty much nothing about this wedding is ‘traditional’ so it wouldn’t matter anyway. But you did a really good job.” Felicity nodded, eyeing the hall.

“Yeah. Design is kinda my thing. And Pinterest is a magical place.”

“They still have Pinterest in 2042?” Felicity asked excitedly and Zari nodded with equal enthusiasm.

Dinah found herself rolling her eyes jokingly and turning away from the small huddle, strolling up to Diggle.

“I still can’t get over the fact that you’re ordained.” She chuckled.

“I can’t believe that I’ve married so many people.” Diggle grinned back. “I really thought that my cousin was going to be it. But what can I say? I’m a sucker for true love.”

҉

A soft knock on the door frame made Sara whirl around, reaching for a pocketknife she’d left on the small table.

“You okay?” Oliver asked gently.

“Yeah, I’m just on edge I guess.”

“You guess?” He eyed her white-knuckled grip on the knife. She took a deep breath and forced herself to set the blade back on the table and step away.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“Getting married?”

Sara nodded. “I felt pretty sure that this future became impossible the moment that the Gambit went down. I never dreamed that I would ever be this happy.”

“It looks good on you.” Sara looked at Oliver quizzically. “Happiness.” She quirked her lips in a little half-smile.

“It’s normal to be nervous on your wedding day, Sara.” Oliver continued, stepping closer. “Especially because this makes you very vulnerable and at the center of attention, which isn’t something that you enjoy.”

She nodded, pursing her lips. “I just wish my dad and Laurel were here. It feels so empty without them. It feels… scary. And a little bit lonely.”

She brushed a fingertip lightly across her eye, banishing a makeup-ruining tear. “It’s so dumb. I’m getting married and I just feel lonely. That my dad’s not here by my side.”

Oliver was silent, simply bringing the woman into a tight hug. She felt so… small. “You’re not walking alone?” He felt her head nod. “You’re not walking alone.”

This time it was a statement. She pulled away and Oliver felt her eyes searching his face. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been alone for long enough. I’m not going to let you walk down that aisle alone too.”

҉

“You look great, Ava.” Nate reassured the nervous woman fiddling with her cuffs.

“I just can’t believe this is happening. I’m about to get married!” Nate and Ray shared a grin as Diggle stepped onto the small wooden platform they’d constructed for the event.

“Is everyone ready?” He asked, counting faces in the crowd.

“Wait, where’s Oliver?” Curtis asked. Felicity’s phone dinged as if on cue.

“Oh yeah, we’re good. Go ahead, Digg.”

The gentle chattering conversations gently petered out as a lone violin player began playing.

Oliver offered Sara his arm, smiling down at her. She smiled back shyly, linking her own arm. She felt glad for his support down the makeshift aisle as all eyes shifted to her. Felicity smiled reassuringly.

Ava turned, eyes fixating on Sara. She felt the air leave her lungs in a whoosh at the first glimpse of her gorgeous bride. All shyness evaporated from Sara when her own gaze fixed on Ava, perfectly tailored suit accentuating her long legs and regal posture.

Oliver tenderly offered Sara’s hand to Ava, who took it gently and squeezed reassuringly. Ava felt lost in the radiant beauty of Sara and her smile. She felt like she was grinning like an idiot. She noticed that the woman had removed all of her customary rings, leaving her hand bare.

Diggle was smiling too. “Legends, Vigilantes, we gather here today to join these two incredible women in matrimony.” The audience gently chuckled.

“There’s not much I can say about them that isn’t obvious to everyone here: they are strong women who live incredibly difficult lives and face the impossible nearly every day. But if there’s one thing I have learned myself, the impossible seems a whole lot more possible when someone has your back.

“Sara is a very close friend of mine, and I hope one day I can say the same for Ava. Regardless, I know Sara. She’s had a hard life. I know there was a time when it felt like nobody would ever have her back. But that never stopped Sara. She always kept fighting.

“Honestly, not even death could stop her. She kept pushing even when life was terrible and everything must have felt hopeless. But the fact that I am standing here in front of you all today proves that that fight was worth it.

“You deserve your happily ever after, Sara. And I’m so glad you found it.” Diggle paused, clearing the emotion from his own throat. “It takes an incredible bond to fight through life together. A bond I am confident you two share. Ava?”

Ava took a deep breath, her own emotions overwhelming her. She could almost lose herself in the shimmering blue eyes before her. She cleared her throat, beginning her vows. “Finding out that I was a clone kidnapped from the future with implanted memories to make me think that I wasn’t a clone was one of the worst days of my life. I’d never felt so alone, so betrayed. So empty.

“Suddenly, everything I thought I knew was a lie. Except for one thing: you. You loved me even when I couldn’t love me. And you helped me become myself again. You make me feel like I’m one in a million, not one of a million. I couldn’t have made through any of this without you, Sara, and I know I need you by my side.”

Diggle seemed bewildered yet choked up at Ava’s words. “Sara?”

“My life has always been crazy. I was an assassin then a vigilante. Then I actually _died_ and my sister brought me back. I was in a dark place. A very dark place. I didn’t feel like I would ever be happy again, like that emptiness was all that was left.

“And then I met you. I’ve experienced-- and done -- things that made me feel unworthy of love. Of happiness. I felt like I was doomed, standing on the crumbling edge of a dark abyss. But you pulled me away from that edge. You loved me anyway. You are my rock, Ava. And you are my joy.” Sara heard her voice crack with emotion but found that she didn’t care for once.

“Ray, do you have the rings?”

Ray stepped forward, beaming. “Yes, I do!”

“Do you, Ava Sharpe, accept Sara Lance as your life mate and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to be there for her in times of plenty as well as in times of need, to soothe her in times of pain, and to support her in all endeavors, big and small, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Ava slipped the band over Sara’s finger. 

“And do you, Sara Lance, take Ava Sharpe to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face for as long as you both may live?”

“I do.” Sara beamed and slipped the ring on Ava’s finger, a perfect twin to the thin band decorating her pinky.

“Ava, you may kiss your bride.”

The small, intimate crowd burst into applause as smiles crashed together, love sealed with a kiss.

“God, I love you, Ava.” Sara gasped as they separated. Ava planted another quick kiss on Sara’s lips.

“I love you, Sara. You complete me.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Third: Anniversary   
> Five years on, the Legends are still protecting time. Right in the middle of another world-ending, Ava and Sara's anniversary rolls around. The team throws a party with some old friends to celebrate the occasion.

“Happy anniversary!” The room broke out into cheers as Sara and Ava entered the darkened kitchen hand in hand.

Nate, Behrad, Gary, and Ray popped confetti into the air as the lights flicked on. Sara chuckled at the assembly of friends.

“Oh, you guys! You are so sweet!” Sara grinned, pulling Jax into a tight hug. “It’s so great to see everyone!”

“Well, we figured since we’re in the middle of another crisis and you guys can’t really leave the ship that we’d help you celebrate!” Nate pulled Sara into the next hug.

A surprisingly well-constructed number 5 made from red balloons decorated the far wall. “Oh, I made that!” Zari tossed a lock over her shoulder, the hair smacking Constantine in the face. He grumbled and released the tight grip he’d had on her waist. “Gideon made the balloons, but you know.”

“It’s great, Z.” Ava praised, receiving a beaming smile in response. “I figured it was you. None of the boys could have figured that one out.”

“Hey!” Nate grumbled in mock offense. “Your probably right, though. Which is why Behrad and I were in charge of snacks!”

“They’re good snacks.” Mona beamed around a mouthful of cupcake and Nora rolled her eyes, grasping a handful of Cheetos. The Kaupe seemed to be giving Mick a run for his money in the snack-consuming department and he was not happy about it.

“I can’t believe its already been five years, Aves.” Sara reflected, leaning into her wife.

“I know. It feels like we got married yesterday.”

“I know the feeling.” Ray beamed, hand on Nora’s shoulder.

“Yeah, blink and next one of you’ll be six months pregnant and craving pickles at 3 am.” Nora grumbled with a small smile, resting a palm gently over the small swell of her belly. Both Sara and Ava chuckled nervously, both of them thinking _no thanks._

“Yeah, and in another five years _you’ll_ be negotiating with a toddler who’s crying because you wont let her each bleach pods.” Jax responded wryly, to the laughs of everyone, soon-to-be parents included. Behrad said something that made Nate launch a carrot across the kitchen island. The gathering dissolved into laughs, stories, and friendship.

“I never saw this coming.” Ava grinned, settling her chin on Sara’s head, arm reaching around to hold her close.

“What?”

“Us. Then Us married. Then Us five years on.” Sara nudged Ava’s head so she could lean back and look up at her.

“Me neither.” Sara smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Ava matched Sara’s smile, her only thought how adorable Sara was. Sara arched her back just enough to meet Ava’s lips in a tender kiss before settling her head back under her wife’s chin.

Ray raised a flute of Champaign. “To Sara and Ava!”

“To family.” Sara toasted back. The gathering chaotically began clinking glasses of Champaign and sparkling juice, spilling small drops on the floor and laughing together.

Sara refilled her and Ava’s glass. “Here’s to five years.”

Ava beamed and raised her own glass. “And to many more.”


	24. I Won't Sculpt My Life For Your Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Fourth: Acceptance   
> A bar fight pushes Sara to come out to the Legends.

The team walked back on the bridge, Rip pinching his nose. “I don’t quite understand how _stay on the ship_ translates to _start a bar fight_.” He turned on his heel, facing the guilty trio. “How did you even start a bar fight?”

“Someone hit on a biker’s girlfriend.” Snart drawled.

“Rory.” Rip sighed.

“Wasn’t me.” He grumbled back, moving to leave the bridge. “I need another beer.”

“You just got back from a bar!” Kendra argued, exasperated. Rory’s only reply was a grumble. Rip closed his eyes, silently counting to three.

“I really didn’t peg you as the type to go around hitting on random women, Snart.” Ray said disapprovingly.

“Luckily, you’re right.” He narrowed his eyes. “I may be a lot of things, but a womanizer isn’t one of them.”

Sara was leaning against the center console, arms crossed over her chest when all eyes swiveled to stare at her.

“What, you know everything else about me, but you didn’t know that I’m bisexual?” Sara raised an eyebrow questioningly at Rip.

“Admittedly, no.” He replied tentatively.

“Well, he does now.” Snart teased. Sara rolled her eyes.

“Miss Lance—"

“We should start Bingo cards or something!” Ray grinned. “Important facts about us that Rip doesn’t know!”

“I’ll get in on that.” Jax grinned. Rip dragged his hands down his cheeks in frustration.

“Is this going to become a habit, Miss Lance?”

She raised an eyebrow, knowing what he was hinting at but refusing to give him the satisfaction. “Well, _this_ is probably going to become habit so I might as well pick up a few ‘habits’ of my own.”

“What do you mean?”

“You not knowing things. You only know about the parts of me that are useful to you. You don’t know anything about who I am as a person.” Sara snorted. “Which isn’t surprising. That’s all people tend to want to know about me: the best way to use me.”

“I want to know more.” Ray butted into the argument. When Sara glared at him, he blanched. “I mean it! We are a team now, all of us! Your bisexuality doesn’t change that, at least for me.”

Jax shrugged. “Naw, me neither. You seem pretty cool. Hating on someone for their sexuality is stupid anyway.”

“We’re two hawk demi-gods trapped in an eternal battle against an immortal super villain.” Kendra replied, grinning at Carter. “The sexuality of our friends isn’t really a thing that even matters to us anymore.”

“I’d be one to talk, wouldn’t I?” Snart drawled.

“I think it’s hot.” Rory announced, walking back into the room to everyone’s groans of exasperation.

“Thanks, guys.” Sara’s lips tweaked in a small grin. “You guys are way more accepting than the last team I was on. Although maybe the fact that my girlfriend was Nyssa al-Ghul was the part they couldn't accept."

Ray choked.


	25. Cheese For You And Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Fifth: Midnight Snack  
> Ever since the couple started spending the night at each other's places, Ava has learned about some of Sara's quirky habits.  
> (Sorry this one is so short! I didn't really have a lot of material to write for this one and thought it was better short and sweet!)

Ava woke up alone. She groaned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. The clock flashed midnight. There must have been an emergency on the Waverider, taking Sara out of bed in the wee hours of the morning. Ava tucked her feet into slippers, shielding her feet from the cold tile of her bathroom.

She shut off the faucet, drying off her hands in the daze of the not yet fully awake when she heard rustling in the kitchen. Heart pounding, she peeked around the corner to her kitchen.

“Sara?” The fridge door was wide open, a small figure silhouetted by the light inside. “Oh my god, you scared me half to death! What are you doing up?”

“Hungry.” She mumbled around a mouthful of…

“Are you just eating… cheese?” Ava asked, incredulous.

Sara nodded. “It’s good.”

“It’s the middle of the night!” Ava protested weakly.

“Want some cheese?” Sara grinned, offering her girlfriend a pinch of dairy shreds.

Ava closed her eyes and took a deep breath before leaning forward and snatching the bits from Sara’s fingers, to her girlfriend’s delighted giggles.

“Come on, babes. You’ve had your snack, now its time to get back to bed."

Sara grinned mischievously, sealing the bag of cheese. “Make me.”

Ava grumbled, reaching forward and pulling Sara over her shoulder in one surprisingly swift movement, given the hour. “Naughty cheese Gremlin.”

Sara laughed breathlessly. “It’s not my fault cheese is so good! It was calling to me!”

“At midnight?”

“Cheese never stops calling to me.”

Ava gently dropped Sara to the bed, the woman dissolving into a fit of giggles. Ava put her hands on her hips sternly, her girlfriend proudly revealed the bag of cheese she had secretly grabbed behind Ava’s back.

“Oh my god.” Ava sighed again, collapsing into bed next to her mischievous lover. “Can’t the bed be a cheese-free zone?” She pleaded as Sara accidentally leaked tiny shreds from the corner of her mouth.

“No zone is a cheese free zone.” Sara’s pinched fingers offered Ava another treat, which she begrudgingly took.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” Ava grumbled.


	26. You're Sweet Like Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Sixth: Chocolate  
> Nyssa treats Sara to some chocolate after a mission in Switzerland.  
> (I am 100% American and I am not really hating on anything but after having traveled a bit I realized how weird America is and how opposite it's culture is to the one Nyssa is [likely] ingrained in and thought it would be a cute dynamic)  
> (Also American chocolate can be pretty bad don't fight me on this one)

“Ta-er al-Safer, we are on a mission! You must stay focused!” Nyssa chided the woman.

“But we finished the mission!”

“The mission is not finished until we return to Nanda Parbat.”

“You’re no fun.” Sara mumbled, crossing her arms with a pout.

“We are not supposed to be having fun, Ta-er al-Safer. We are on League business.”

“Come on, Nyssa! I did what you told me to do.” Sara suddenly grew quiet, eyes fixed on the ground. “I killed him.”

“Yes, and I _am_ proud of you.” Nyssa said gently. “I know it is difficult for you, _habibi._ In time, it will become easier.”

“What if I don’t want it to?” Sara whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“Become easier. What if I don’t want to become this person that kills people and then doesn’t care.”

Nyssa looked at the woman sadly. “I know your heart hurts, _ta-er al-saghir._ I know this is why you act badly sometimes; to separate yourself from the death.”

“How do you do it?” Sara whispered.

“It is all I have ever known.” Nyssa replied simply. “You have a good heart, Ta-er al-Safer. But you must have a strong heart, too.”

Sara looked down at the pavement, knowing that Nyssa was right but scared of what that really meant. 

“We did travel all the way to Switzerland.” Nyssa said thoughtfully a few minutes later. “It would be remiss of me to _not_ give my American girlfriend a taste of real chocolate.”

Sara pressed her lips in that almost-smile that killed Nyssa, who ached to share in her love’s unrestrained happiness. Happiness that Sara wasn’t sure she was capable of feeling anymore.

҉

“These rooms are actually pretty nice.” Sara mumbled, gently closing the door behind her.

“Yes, much nicer than the one in France.” Nyssa agreed.

“I’m going to hop in the shower real quick.” Sara began removing her layers, giggling when Nyssa looked at her dubiously.

“All of you Americans have such confusing colloquialisms.” Nyssa mumbled with a small grin, changing into fresh clothes before sitting on the bed, legs crossed. The sound of the water running in the shower was a pleasant white noise for her brief meditation. Meditation kept Nyssa sane.

A nice scalding shower always pulled Sara back. Of the many ways Nyssa had observed people in the League coping, Sara’s was strangely pure. She knew that Sara viewed the shower as cleaning herself of the blood she had spilled, that she visualized crimson water drifting down the drain whether there was actual blood or not: it was Sara’s own method of meditation. Nyssa hoped this trait never changed.

The water shut off, yanking Nyssa back to the present. She realized it had been nearly 30 minutes. If Sara’s fault was that she was unable to settle enough to find peace in meditation, Nyssa’s fault was that she often found herself drifting, frighteningly untethered from reality.

Sara always tethered her.

She flopped lightly onto the mattress in front of Nyssa not ten minutes later, moist hair braided. Nyssa found her own smile, equally rare as Sara’s. She reached down and firmly pulled Sara up, uncrossing her legs to nestle the woman between them. Nyssa rested her soft lips tenderly on Sara’s forehead, taking a deep breath, reveling in the fresh scent of her love. Sara rested her head on Nyssa’s chest, closing her eyes for a moment as she melted into the contact like chocolate in a hot car.

Two women talking loudly as they walked past the door jolted them both back, Sara noticeably flinching before slowly pushing herself to a sitting position, legs out, perpendicular to her love. One of Nyssa’s legs crossed her lap while the other curled gently behind Sara’s butt. Nyssa remained where she was for a moment, propped against the pillows, just staring at Sara while the woman stretched her arms over her head.

“I promised chocolate.”

“You promised real chocolate.” Sara teased. Nyssa often light-heartedly teased Sara about American things, like (apparently) terrible chocolate.

“Yes. You Americans have no concept of what chocolate actually is.” Nyssa shook her head. “I have tasted the chocolate of more than 37 different countries and America is by far the worst.”

“Come on, it can’t be _that_ bad.”

“I am about to change your life.” Nyssa replied solemnly, deadly serious on all matters regarding chocolate. “Close your eyes and open your mouth.” Sara winked wickedly and Nyssa rolled her eyes in response.

Sara crinkled her nose in that cute way and Nyssa took another moment to adore her unobserved before gently placing a chocolate square in her mouth. Sara closed her mouth, her eyelids fluttering as the treat began to melt on her tongue.

Nyssa adored the sight and found herself staring, a smile crossing her lips. Sara opened her eyes, meeting her dark gaze unflinchingly. She smiled and turned her body, leaning in for a kiss that Nyssa leaned forward unconsciously to meet.

Nyssa tasted the sweet chocolate on Sara’s sweet lips. Nyssa let the love melt her.


	27. Shopping For A New Self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Seventh: Shopping  
> Nyssa has been trying to adjust to a more 'normal' life outside of the League with the help of her new girlfriend, Laurel. Next stop: New wardrobe!

“Hey, have you guys seen Nyssa?” Laurel asked, striding into the lair.

Felicity turned from her work with some cables and moved to meet Laurel with a brief hug. Diggle shook his head over her shoulder, turning back to his workout.

“Yes, I am here.” Nyssa spontaneously appeared behind the blonde.

“Jesus!” Felicity squeaked. “We’re going to have to put a freaking bell around your neck!” She stumbled to her computer, Laurel grinning at her back.

“I told you I was going to take you shopping. Or did you forget?”

“I do not forget.” Nyssa replied, offended. “I simply assumed you were joking.”

“You left with the clothes on your back and you don’t have much.”

“I do not need much.” Nyssa replied evenly. Laurel rolled her eyes.

“Well, I’m taking you shopping anyway. Come on, let’s go.”

҉

Nyssa surveyed the bright colors and half-hazard organization of the store with an anxious eye.

Laurel seemed to sense her anxiety and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know this is probably overwhelming. But just trust me, okay?” Nyssa side-eyed Laurel before hesitantly nodding. Nyssa laced her fingers through Laurel's, allowing the woman to tug her gently over to a rack.

Laurel beamed and pulled out a pink shirt.

“Pink is… not really my color.” Nyssa replied coolly.

“I think you’d look cute.”

“I’m not trying to look cute.” She protested.

Laurel rolled her eyes endearingly before exchanging the pink for a navy green.

“What’s your waist?” Laurel asked absentmindedly, meandering across to a rack of jeans, choosing the occasional shirt on the way.

Nyssa’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

“Your waist measurement? We’re going to get you jeans that actually fit.”

“I am uncertain.” Nyssa admitted a moment later. Laurel nodded and surveyed a row of pants before plucking a pair and holding it up to the other woman’s legs. Nyssa jumped, not expecting the movement.

“These look pretty close. You should definitely try them on though.”

Nyssa didn’t move, staring at Laurel with a dozen unasked questions.

“Oh, you just go to that attendant over there—” Laurel pointed to the vested woman sorting clothes in a buggy, “—and ask for the key. Then she lets you in and you try the pants on.”

“I do not know how they are supposed to fit.” Nyssa admitted.

Laurel shrugged. “So put them on and let me see.” Nyssa nodded, setting her face determinedly. Laurel chuckled under her breath. Nyssa was almost always intense but sometimes it was just too adorable.

A long minute later, Nyssa hesitantly emerged from the small changing room.

Laurel blushed as the woman emerged from the changing room, making every effort not to stare at Nyssa’s butt in those jeans. “Those fit great!” She announced, perhaps a tad too enthusiastically. Nyssa grinned deviously in response: Laurel didn’t have a very good poker face when it came to her girlfriend.

“Now we know your bottom size, at least.”

“You Americans make clothes much too difficult.” Nyssa grumbled, changed back into her own pants.

“I know and I hate it.” Laurel replied earnestly. “We really do over-complicate just about everything. Come on, you probably need more than one pair of underwear.” Nyssa blushed deeply before nodding.

“Hey, knowing your jean size actually helps make this a lot easier.” Laurel pointed out. “Are you more of a bikini girl or a briefs girl?”

“Laurel, you know neither of those words means anything to me.” Nyssa protested lightly. “You have seen my undergarments. Perhaps you should just make an educated guess.”

Laurel grinned devilishly, going for pink with daisies. Nyssa narrowed her eyes dangerously, causing Laurel to burst into breathless laughter while grabbing some neutral toned shorts.

“I’m guessing you don’t want to try on any dresses.”

“I do not feel comfortable in dress garments.”

“I figured. But it might be a good idea to pick at least one thing out.”

“I do not imagine myself requiring formal clothing.”

“Parties?” Laurel cocked an eyebrow as Nyssa wrinkled her nose.

“I do not plan to attend any festivities.” Laurel grinned.

“Okay, honey.” The pet name slipped out and Laurel cringed at herself, relaxing only when Nyssa didn’t acknowledge it and the pair continued browsing casually.

҉

“I apparently let my girlfriend dress me now.” Nyssa grinned lightly to show Laurel she was just teasing, glancing at the full paper shopping bag. She realized she had only picked out a single pair of jeans for herself, trusting Laurel with her entire new wardrobe.

“Hey, at least you picked a girl with a sense of style!”

Nyssa made a show of looking Laurel up and down with an eyebrow raised and Laurel dissolved into laughter, gently cuffing the woman on the upper arm with a _hey_.

Nyssa wrapped her arm around Laurel’s shoulders and roughly pulled her in. “Thank you, _habibti._ ”

“Of course.” Laurel smiled. Nyssa’s own version of _honey_ : she was on the same page as Laurel. “Want to go get some milkshakes?”

“With fries?”

Laurel laughed. “Always with fries!”


	28. A Flower For A Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Eighth: Flowers  
> Sara wants to surprise Felicity with some flowers at work. Too bad the boys are there to observe.  
> (Hi yes you will realize [if you haven't already] that i indulge in symbolism 10000% of the time. Yellow Daffodils symbolize new beginings and luck for future success, which is energy my girl Sara needs. Plus canary=yellow so oh boy i really did it this time huh)

“Hey, babe. I saw these flowers and remembered how you said daffodils were your favorite and—” Sara broke off, eyes widening and smile vanishing as she rounded the corner. All the color drained from her face as four heads turned to look in her direction.

Out of pure reflex, she swept the bouquet behind her back, yellow petals comically poking out from behind her thin frame.

“Were you just smiling?” Roy asked. “I didn’t know you could do that!” Diggle shot Roy a glare on her behalf and he shrugged. “What? I have literally never seen her smile before.”

“Shit.” Sara whispered, panicked eyes flitting between the three men staring at her. “I thought you guys were going to be… not here… right now.”

“Sara?” Oliver's eyebrows furrowed.

“Please don’t look at me like that, Ollie.” Sara whimpered, before straightening her back, new plan in mind. “I thought the Arrow Cave could use some color in here!” The three men continued to stare at her in disbelief. “What? A friend can’t platonically bring another friend platonic flowers, totally platonically?”

“Yes, but usually ‘platonic’ friends don’t call each other ‘babe’.” Diggle pointed out.

“It’s a figure of speech. It… slipped out. I’m—”

“It’s okay, Sara.” Felicity replied, coming to her girlfriend’s rescue. Felicity stood and crossed the room, taking the bundle of daffodils and planting a kiss on Sara’s cheek. “They’re beautiful. And it’s so sweet that you remembered they’re my favorite.”

Felicity crossed back over to her desk, setting the bundle on her keyboard. “I’m going to go upstairs and try to steal something vase-like. Maybe an old wine bottle? That would be _really_ classy. That was sarcasm—putting flowers in a wine bottle is pretty tacky. But the flowers are really nice! I’m sure their slow deaths inside a wine bottle wont take anything away from that!” Felicity slammed on the breaks when she noticed the four pairs of eyes trained on her, mouth stuck in an _O_. She pointed at the stairs. “I’m going to stop talking and go get something to keep these in.”

Her heels clacked away and up the stairs frantically. When the door clicked shut Sara bit her lip, staring at the ground.

“So, how long has that been going on?” Diggle asked with a grin. Oliver just stared at her, eyebrows furrowed.

“About two months, I guess.” Sara stumbled over her words.

“I’m surprised that Felicity held it together more than you.” Roy replied. “I mean, in the first half. Then it all fell apart. But she did do a lot better than usual.” Diggle nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen you flustered before.”

“You’ve known me for maybe five months, Diggle.” Sara pointed out.

“Yeah, and I haven’t seen you smile like that in those five months.” 

Oliver still hadn't spoken, arms crossed and brow furrowed severely.

“I’m sorry, Ollie. We were going to tell you but we wanted to keep it between us for a little while. You know, test the waters a little bit.” Sara cringed. “I know she’s too good for me, Ollie. But she makes me so happy and—”

“Sara.” Oliver replied firmly. “I’m not upset. I was surprised.” Oliver sighed, taking a step closer to Sara. “I know that you feel like you’re not good enough, that you’re some kind of irredeemable monster. Monsters don’t remember a passing comment about flowers for two weeks and then surprise their girlfriends at work with them.

“I know there is still a light inside of you, Sara. Let Felicity help you find that light again.”

Felicity clomped down the stairs, holding the wine bottle aloft with victory. “What’d I miss?”


	29. Identity Intersects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Twenty-Ninth: Intersection  
> As a result of a time-scatter, Sara gets stranded in Salem and nearly hung for being bi.   
> (Yeah I have no idea how this is even a prompt or something to write about. This was totally a throw away and Im sorry)

Sara had been expecting that she would get into trouble eventually. Sara was not expecting the literal torches and pitch forks.

They yanked her off the bench, binding her hands extremely tightly with rope before roughly shoving her through the village, collecting bystanders as they went.

Admittedly, Sara mostly felt confused. “What is going on?”

Her question was answered with a growing chant of _witch_.

“What—”

“You have corrupted the women of this village!” One village elder shouted as the young man driving her shoved her roughly forward. She stumbled.

“Wait, so I ‘corrupt’ women but Isiah over here doesn’t?”

“Silence, witch!” Another man grabbed her roughly, the rope noose in his other hand.

“You’re actually serious?” Sara blanched.

“There are witnesses, men who have seen you with Jessabelle.”

“I’ve witnessed you and Mary!” Sara protested.

“It is the woman’s duty to watch over the house and family. You have flouted this duty at every turn since arriving here and embraced the sin of witch craft! And, as is customary of witches, you have made every attempt to corrupt the innocents of this village to follow in your sinful footsteps!”

Sara rolled her eyes. “I’m not doing this.” She reached behind her and grabbed the pitchfork of the closest villager, planting a kick straight in his gut while swinging the wood to knock the man holding the rope.

“You must be Sara Lance!” A tall man with a stupid haircut appeared behind her. She tripped him before glancing up to see Mick and Ray.

“It’s okay! He’s with us! Nate.” Ray grinned, introducing them. Nate waved from the ground before pushing himself back up. The group turned to make their way back to the Waverider. “How was Salem?”

“I almost got hung.”

“It’s hanged, actually.” The new man interrupted.

“Yeah, how did that happen?” Ray hurriedly replied, before Sara could do anything.

“Some girl told her father that we were sleeping together.” Nate’s eyes bulged.

“Probably not a great choice.” Ray replied whimsically. Sara shrugged.

“So when men do it, it’s fine, but when I do it, I deserve to get hung.”

“We are in 1693.” Nate pointed out.

“There is plenty of extra-marital affairs going on here.” Sara replied bitterly. “But it’s never the man's fault, and two women together is the work of the devil.”

Ray pursed his lips, nodding. “That’s fair. Lots of people, even today, blame women for their husbands cheating.”

“In this time period, women get blamed for _everything_.” Sara groaned. “You take one wrong step and you’re a witch. I can’t wait to get home where only some people hate me for being bisexual and almost none for being a woman.”


	30. I've Never Seen A Future As Bright As Mine With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June Thirtieth: Domestic   
> Sara and Ava move into their own apartment, together. 
> 
> (Casually ignoring what happens to Oliver because I refuse to acknowledge it-- everyone is here having a good time ok)

Sara stretched to slide the box onto the counter with chuckle from Ava.

“What, jerk?” Sara whirled around with a smile.

“Little tall for you?” Ava grinned back, stepping forward to meet Sara in a kiss. Sara found herself back on her toes, arms thrown around Ava’s shoulders for leverage. Ava hummed, breaking off the kiss. “I’m a little tall for you.”

Sara gently cuffed the woman’s shoulder, smile widening. “Jerk.” She turned around to survey the room filled with boxes.

“Is this really happening?” Sara asked behind a smile.

Ava cocked her head, stepping up next to Sara.

“We got married last week. Now we’re moving into our own apartment, which we chose together.” Sara shook her head blissfully. “After everything, this doesn’t feel real.”

Ava draped an arm across her wife’s shoulders, drawing her in lightly. Sara leaned her head into Ava, grateful. Grounded. “Yes. This is really happening.”

“God, I love you so much.” Sara turned, cupping Ava’s face in her palms.

“I love you.” Ava replied, bending her neck to meet Sara’s lips in another kiss, which quickly turned breathless and hungry. Sara’s hands snaked under Ava’s shirt, stroking smooth, hot skin.

Ava had to force herself to pull away from Sara, who let out a small groan at the break in contact.

“We’re going to have to pace ourselves, babes.” Ava laughed. “We have our work cut out for us.”

Sara sighed, resting her head on Ava’s chest as she surveyed the stacks of boxes. Ava, like always, was right.

҉

The doorbell shattered the steady pace set by the women as they began to unpack.

“Aves, wanna get the door?” Sara shouted, turning down the blasting music.

“Oh god, everything’s still a mess. Everything’s more of a mess!” Ava moaned, glancing around at items strewn randomly around the new apartment and the half-unpacked cardboard boxes placed on every surface Sara could reach.

“It’ll be okay, babe.” Sara grinned, planting a kiss on the woman’s cheek as she walked past to open the front door. “Ray and Nora!” Sara’s grin grew into a gigantic smile at the sight of the couple.

“Hey, Sara!” Ray smiled even bigger. “We brought you a houseplant!” Nora held out a fern in a clay pot. Sara took it gently and turned, welcoming the couple inside.

“Sorry, there isn’t anywhere to sit. There’s barely anywhere to stand.” Sara gestured around the room, considering where to put the new addition to the home. “You guys are… pretty early.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t talk Ray out of it.” Nora replied, her glance at the man tender. “He wanted to come help.”

“You’ve done so much for us and I wanted to pay it forward.”

“We really appreciate it, guys.” Ava accepted Ray’s tight hug. “At this point… you might as well just grab a box and start going. We have lemonade!”

“We’ll do kitchen!” Ray beamed. “Kitchen is always pretty straight forward and grossly time consuming.”

“As long as you watch your height.” Sara grumbled under her breath, topping off her own glass of lemonade.

҉

The group worked in strange coherence; Nora pulling things from boxes, Ray stacking things carefully, Sara hacking at boxes and making piles, Ava carrying items to their respective rooms across the house. The flow was only broken by another ring.

“I’ve got it.” Ava volunteered this time, not breaking her stride from the bathroom. “Behrad, Nate, Zari, and …. Constantine?”

“Yup.” Zari grinned, pulling the brit in the door by his tie. Mick grumbled, bringing up the rear.

“And Mick!” Ava called out cheerfully. “I’m sorry, this is taking a lot longer than we thought. I’m just very… particular.” Nate saw Sara roll her eyes from across the room.

“Need help with anything?” He volunteered.

“Yeah, I mean you can clear the couch up if you take that stack of boxes down to the bin.”

Mick pulled out his heat gun. “I can take care of those for you.”

“No!” A half-dozen voices screamed at once. Sara gently placed her hand on the top of the weapon, forcing him to lower it.

“Thank you, but we recycle.” Mick grumbled and stashed his gun away.

“Did you bring your heat gun into our brand-new apartment?” Ava squeaked.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?" He replied around a mouthful of sandwich, as if this was the most obvious answer in the world. Ava closed her eyes and counted to three as the doorbell rang again.

Before anyone could move, Sara crossed the room, doing her own mental countdown. “Hey, Ollie!” Sara smiled, falling into hid arms as he chuckled lightly. “Team Arrow’s here!” Sara yelled over her shoulder. The last of the party trickled in.

“John!” Zari yelped. That was usually not a good sign. Sara whirled around, eyes getting big. They were not going to lose their deposit before they even finished unpacking.

“Constantine! What did you do!” Sara stopped short when she walked into a completely normal room.

“I got rid of the cardboard.” He shrugged, his face slackening at Sara’s stern look. “What? Cardboard might be very useful in Hell.” Ava and Sara groaned in unison.

“Are they always like this?” Curtis whispered and Nora nodded gravely.

Felicity smiled as she pulled Sara into a tight hug, grunting at the other woman’s strength. “I’m so happy for you, Sara.” She whispered, a private moment between two old friends. Sara’s emotional smile back told Felicity she heard and was grateful.

“Toast to the happy couple and their beautiful new apartment?” Diggle asked, popping a Champaign cork to the cheers of the crowd. Flutes were passed around and filled chaotically, everyone smiling.

“If anyone spills on my brand-new carpet,” Sara drawled, “I will not hesitate to kill you.”

Everyone laughed and Ava pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, sidling up to casually wrap and arm around her wife. “Oh no, she’s dead serious.”

Everyone clinked glasses, miraculously not spilling a single drop.

“Potato Salad’s mine!” Behrad shouted as Nate swatted at him. Rene even spared a chuckle at the boys' antics. Diggle and Curtis passed paper plates out to everyone while Felicity and Dinah moderated silverware.

Pretty soon, everyone was sitting on spare places on the floor, chatting and eating and laughing. Sara surveyed the chaotic party with a grin. Ava appeared behind her again, leaning forward to place a kiss on the crown of her head. Sara leaned into her contentedly.

“This is better than even my wildest dreams.” Sara whispered, voice so quiet Ava nearly missed it. Ava wrapped her arm around her wife, holding her even closer.

“Mine, too.”

“I love you, Ava.” Sara whispered after a moment of silence. Ava directed Sara into another kiss with a tender and firm finger on her chin.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been.” Sara said, breaking away. Her radiant smile proved what she said was true, but Ava didn’t really need proof. She knew. She felt the same way: a single look from Sara made Ava’s chest ache with love.

“You are my whole world, Sara.” Ava replied with a kiss to her nose. “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been... incredible! A most sincere thank you to all my readers, especially everyone who left Kudos and Comments! They really mean the world to me.  
> This is the first project I've done and completed in... god I don't even know. Which is what makes this mean so much to me. I hadn't written (ff) in maybe four or five years and I just jumped right into this project and freaking completed it, posted every day, wrote every day! I know that's pretty much a bare minimum but this excersize allowed me to find this great passion that has been missing from my life for a long, long time.   
> For the first time in a long time, I made a promise to myself and I kept it.  
> This story will always have a special place in my heart because of that.  
> Once again, thank you for all your support and love! It means the world to me.


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